Of Fae and Feathers
by MysticMonarch
Summary: When Dean Winchester is taken hostage by a group of fairies to ensure that their secret is kept, the last thing he's expecting is to make friends. However, when he falls in love with a cold warrior named Castiel, he ends up with much more than he bargained for. Destiel.
1. Chapter 1

**If you'd like all the "special" things like the link to the official update schedule and a link to a place where you can see how far I'm along in finishing this story, (I'm currently 72% done with the final thing and have decided to go ahead and start releasing chapters) you can find links to those things on Archive of our Own at the first chapter of this story, under the same name and under the author (me still, but with a different pen name) "MysticMoonhigh". There's also chapter art.**

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The garden wasn't anything too large; it was quaint and darling, flowers overflowing along the edges. Mainly to distract the bugs from the actual herbs, and occasionally to enter in competitions. It was Jo's most _prized_ possession. She'd worked hours upon hours tending to and loving the plants.

Which was why, when she decided to go on a vacation and wanted Dean to care for them while she was gone, he couldn't help but say yes.

Sure, his allergies were irritated a little bit. Sure, he had killed everything that he'd touched thus far in his planting experience. Sure, he was absolutely awful at actually remembering to do things outside of his average routine and he barely knew how to apply the weed killer. Actually, where was he going with this again?

Jo had said she'd already asked everyone else she could have possibly asked, and he was a sucker for her large, pleading eyes. Maybe if the she-devil had asked him over the phone he would have been able to say no, but of course, she invited him over. She made him comfortable. She got him a beer and they played poker with Ash while the rest of the Roadhouse ran on. At the end of the night, she flashed those big, hopeful puppydog eyes and there was nothing that Dean could do to resist them.

There was a small house by the garden, which was snuggled firmly up to the back of the roadhouse. It had a bed and a miniature fridge, accompanied by a radio and microwave. Since the flowers needed watched over almost 24/7, (Jo had her petunias in a competition that started two days after she got back and she would _kill_ Dean if he let anything more than the usual "bug-eats-half-a-flower" happen.

It was all a little too close to nature for Dean. He preferred to have things city-oriented, where there was music and booze and women. Then again, there was booze just inside the road house...

But Ellen would kill him if he drank too much. She was already having to shut down the roadhouse while her and Jo went, (Ellen's mother was getting married again at the ripe age of 72, something that she advocated they couldn't miss) so the profits for this month were already looking shot to hell without Dean getting hands on the liquor.

Of course, Dean also knew that he was welcome to a beer a night for helping Jo's garden.

"Dean!" Jo yelled, running towards him as the impala pulled up to the front of the house. He cut off the engine with a turn of his wrist, not opening the door until Jo was jumping beside it.

As soon as he had stood up, he was greeted with an armful of Jo, her body nuzzling against his warmly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She said, into his shirt, "Thank you again!"

"No problem, Jo. Anything for you." He mumbled back, lips against her hairline. And, as much as he hated to admit it, it was really true. Jo was like a sister to him, and he couldn't imagine telling her no if she really needed his help. He'd give, do, anything for his family. Jo, while not blood, was certainly a person who qualified for special treatment.

Jo, Sammy, Benny, Ellen, and Bobby. It wasn't a lot of names, but that was fine with him. His family was small and cozy, and there were more that he considered just friends. Dean was by no means lonely.

Even if Ellen did keep pestering him about getting a girlfriend, ("Or a boyfriend," she added, looking at him sternly, "I honestly don't care. But I worry about you up in that apartment all alone.") he was fine, really. Sammy had moved out six months ago, and he'd been slowly adjusting ever since.

It was slow going sometimes, he had to admit that. He'd been so used to having another warm body there beside him, someone to talk to or make dinner for or just sit and watch TV with. Of course, if he wanted one of those things, he could easily get a room mate. It didn't _have_ to be something romantic to fill up the silence with pleasant chatter.

Now that he thought about it, that would help to pay the bills, too. He would have to look into that when he got back home.

Jo pulled away, her eyes sparkling as she smiled up at him. "Remember to water everything once a day. And I scattered some of the dying stuff around the edge of the garden. Don't pick it up, because it'll help out the plants next year." She informed him.

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Don't pick up decaying plant matter and don't step on anything pretty."

"You'd better not step on anything _at all,_ or I'll kick your ass." She informed him, finally stepping away from the hug. Dean lunged with the intention to pull her in for a noogie, but she dodged and he missed.

"Alright you two, knock it off." Ellen said, delivering a firm smack to the back of Dean's head. Dean pretended to be hurt, reaching back and rubbing the area.

"He started it!" Jo defended.

"We'll get along." Dean countered, pulling her in for a big, squeezing hug. She squealed and struggled in his hold, laughing as she tried to break free.

"You have to let her go now, Winchester, or we're gonna be late. I'll see you in a week." Ellen warned, her warm smile returning. "I don't care if you get into the alcohol, but you'd better not clear us out. I have a business to run and need beer to do it." She reminded him. Dean nodded.

"Don't worry Ellen, I won't drink all that much. After all, I've been sober for two days this time. Can't afford to ruin that streak." Dean said. Ellen delivered a punch to his arm, and he immediately slackened his grip to grab the spot with his other hand. Jo chose then to give a mighty burst of power and escape, turning around and glaring at Dean.

"I'll get you for that." She warned. Dean stuck out his tongue.

"Goodbye, Dean." Ellen said warmly, giving him a hug. He hugged her back, smiling.

"Goodbye." Jo said, coming for her hug once Ellen's was done. He didn't play around this time, wrapping her in his arms and squeezing just a little.

"I'll take care of everything. You go have fun." He said, pushing her away.

She smiled, nodding. "You're the only one I trust for the job."

Just like that, they were loading themselves into Ellen's van, and waving goodbye as they sped down the road. Dean stayed standing in the driveway until he could no longer see them before sighing, putting an arm on top of the car and hanging his head.

An entire week out in the fucking forest. The Roadhouse may be popular and busy, but that didn't mean it was local. It was a good fifteen minutes out of town, and every single one of those minutes were taken up by tree after tree after tree. Then again, at least Dean would be able to pretend like he was camping.

He unfroze, reaching into the car to grab his duffel bag before shutting the door and locking it.

He stayed firmly to the small, worn path that had been made as he walked back to the house. The garden was bigger than the last time he saw it, and he couldn't help but notice that it was especially green and healthy. He sent a silent prayer that he wouldn't fuck up and ruin it.

When he reached the small addition, he saw that the key was in the door, as they'd discussed when Jo initially asked him to do this. He turned it in it's lock and tucked it into his pocket as he pushed open the door, throwing his things onto the bed.

He plopped himself down onto it, staying still for a moment before he reached into his bag and got out his laptop. He plugged in the charger, (useless piece of shit only lasted ten minutes without it) and opened the screen, connecting to the Roadhouse's free wifi and looking for something to watch on Netflix. He didn't have much to choose from that he hadn't already seen before, but he eventually settled on Merlin. Charlie swore by it and it had good enough ratings.

He settled in and hit play, letting the plot line draw his mind away from his worry. It wasn't long before he was dozing off, and he decided to hit the hay.

~~~  
Three days later, Dean had all but adjusted to life out in the wild. He'd only been to the store once in that time, (and even then, he only went because the mini fridge was too small to hold anything substantial and he had to get food and toilet paper and all that fun adult stuff) and he was surprised to say that his cabin fever was behaving itself. He actually sort of liked being out here. He was lonely and knew that he'd never be able to do it for any length of time, but it was peaceful.

Currently, his hands were cloaked in gloves and his knees were dug into the dirt, arms burning as he pulled out weed after weed. He had no clue how these little suckers grew as fast as they did, but he had been out here picking them every damn day. For his so-called "week off", this wasn't very relaxing.

But, he knew that he owed the week off to Ellen's work, anyways. Bobby had a soft spot for her.

Soon, he sat back and admired his work. Sure it had taken a good forty-five minutes, but the garden looked healthy. Despite his previous worries, he was pretty sure that he was doing an okay job. Not as good as Jo herself could have done, but he certainly wasn't the worst person for the job.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flicker with movement. He felt his stomach absolutely drop to his feet.

If those damn bugs decided to ruin all of his hard work, he was going to-

He grabbed the can of bug spray off of his belt, standing and walking over to where he could see the motion. He paused, head tilting in confusion. If he wasn't mistaken, he'd seen something flying over here just moments ago. What could have disappeared that fast? It looked pretty damn big, for a bug.

He slowly circled the flowers, eying the leaves with curiosity.

He was just about to turn to go back. His foot was already poised, his muscles taut, if he had turned a second sooner, he would have missed it entirely.

Out from under a flower, a very, _very_ tiny man fell.

This was no ordinary man. No, other than being very tiny, he also had a pair of magnificent wings attached firmly to his back, approximately his body length in width and golden in color. He stared up at Dean with wide, fearful eyes for a moment before he was suddenly yanked back underneath the flower.

Dean knelt down beside it, working on auto pilot. He _had_ to see what he'd saw again. He had to prove to himself that he wasn't crazy, that that wasn't some kind of a bizarre hallucination he'd had due to the heat.

As his fingers worked to pull the plant over, three of them absolutely exploded from the bushes.

One had rainbow wings, one had stark black wings, and last to leave was the one he'd seen, who's wings were a pure gold. Now that he was up and moving, Dean could see that they flashed in the sunlight. Dean stumbled back a few steps, falling over and landing on his ass.

As they flew away, he could see something wrapped in their arms. _The herbs Jo had laid out._ He let out a curse and stood up, still not yet allowing what had happened to fully sink in yet. As soon as the anger from having those stolen had worn off, though, he was left with a numb sort of bafflement. Whatever the hell had just happened, he refused to acknowledge that it was anything other than just regular bugs. He absolutely, positively, _refused_ to say the 'f' word that kept popping up in his mind.

He stumbled back to his small living quarters, closing the door firmly behind him and sitting slowly down onto the bed. Maybe it would feel better if he texted Jo about what had happened? He could make it sound like a joke, if he wanted to. She would keep him from going off the deep end.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like talking to Jo would be a good idea. He felt like he was going crazy. It wouldn't be too hard to reword his question so he sounded less insane. All he had to do was ask about crazy bugs. Yeah, that sounded like something he would do.

_I just saw the weirdest shit in your garden. Do you know of any freaky bugs that have feathers?_ He asked, and then on a second thought, added,_The little bastards carried off your herbs._

_Those are birds, you dumbass._ Jo texted back, quick as lightning. Dean didn't feel any better.

_No, they weren't. I know what a bird is, Jo, Bobby made us take that nature course together when we were like nine. These didn't have beaks. They were like, tiny bugs. With feathers and shit._

_I have to go. We'll talk about this later, _Jo said. Believe it or not, that didn't make Dean feel any better about the whole situation.

Cas was absolutely pissed that he somehow got dragged into this.

"They said we didn't need them until next week. You know what happened the last time a random human saw us. We can trust the girl, but not any of her friends." He warned, crossing his arms over his chest. Balthazar turned to him with his brow raised.

"That was half a century ago, Cassie. Can't you let it go? Your wing was only broken for what, six months? Fifty years should be enough time for forgiveness." Balthazar teased. Castiel only felt the uneasy feeling grow in his stomach.

"You know that Anna was working on something special." Gabriel put in, his wings briefly clinging to his body as he turned mid-air, and then coming out again forcefully. He looked up at Castiel now, a confident smirk on his face. "This might be able to give us access to more human items without the danger of trying to talk to a full-sized human. Aren't you the one that just finds them absolutely _fascinating_?"

"I find their cultures and customs fascinating, much like I find it fascinating when you run headfirst into a tree." Castiel said smugly. Gabriel's eyes filled with panic as he looked ahead of him, twisting his body all sorts of ways to try and get out of the tree's path. He _barely_ missed it, the very edge of his left wing skimming the bark.

"You're no fun, Cas." Gabriel said. Castiel just shrugged, while Balthazar laughed.

"Awww, how is Cassie not _fun?_ I thought it was hilarious." He put in.

All three of them landed when the garden came into sight, wings tucking in as they plummeted briefly towards the ground. As soon as they were in landing distance their wings shot out again, catching the wind and slowing down their fall.

They landed one after another, Gabriel almost tripping over a small twig.

"I still think we should wait. She laid them out for us, but that was for an emergency shortage." Castiel reminded them, an odd feeling churning in his stomach. Balthazar's multicolored wings fluffed up.

"Anna's work _is_ an emergency." Gabriel said, shrugging. Then, without pause, "Now, come on! The faster we get this done, the faster we get back to her."

"We haven't even checked to see if he's-" Castiel started, and then stopped mid-sentence. Gabriel wasn't listening; he was already running towards the herbs, wings flapping and using the air to speed him up.

Castiel gave a heavy sigh as he joined Gabriel, Balthazar moving into action right behind him. The entire way there he muttered curses under his breath in Enochian, wondering _why_ he had to choose to be friends with _these_ ones. He soon caught up with Gabriel, landing beside him and grabbing the other end of the bushel. Balthazar wrapped arms around the middle and they all heaved, carrying them over to just beside the forest.

Once they were there, Castiel wasted no time. He shucked off a couple of the healthiest branches, shoving them into his backpack and leaving the rest there so they could get more if they needed it. Usually, ten or fifteen people would be sent out to collect, so they could bring back everything at once.

Balthazar and Gabriel followed quickly in his footsteps, shoving herbs into their bags. All three took off again, flying to the next bunch of leaves to repeat the process.

After the first six piles had been collected, Castiel heard something. It was loud and obtrusive, and he was a little confused. Usually the only thing that made that kind of sound was-

His eyes widened as a shadow appeared several feet away. He grabbed Balthazar's arm and dragged him back, being the only one close enough to touch.

"Gabriel!" He hissed, feathers bristling. Gabriel's eyes flickered back and forth between the shadow and Castiel in confusion, before it finally clicked with him, too. He flapped his wings a couple of times, using the extra speed to catch up to the others. Cas's eyes scanned the nearby underbrush, looking for a place to hide.

He finally settled on a small flowering plant, the leaves looking thick enough to cover them. He grabbed Balthazar and pulled him straight back to the stem, pressing his fingers to his lips to indicate that they should be quiet. The shadow grew closer and closer, until eventually it hovered over them, looming like impending doom.

Castiel's eyes wandered back to his friend, who was leaning out as much as he possibly could in attempt to see the human. They widened to the size of dinner plates, and he hissed, "Gabriel!"

"I'm just trying to get a closer look, calm-" He started. Then, as if pulled straight out of a children's book warning of the dangers of humans, he lost his footing. He stumbled forward and out of the cover of leaves, golden wings flashing in the sun.

Castiel shot forward and grabbed his ankle, pulling him back under the leaves. Gabriel made a small sound of annoyed pain, turning back to look at Cas like he was crazy.

Cas saw the human's knee hit the ground, and he felt a spike of fear pierce through him.

He stayed perfectly still as a hand came down to slowly pull aside the leaves, rustling above. He glanced back at Balthazar and Balthazar nodded, a clear indication that he knew what Cas was thinking and would be with him until the end of the line.

As soon as the sun shone down on them, Cas flew into the air, dragging Gabriel behind him. He glanced back as he flew to get a look at the human; sandy blonde hair. He looked more _curious_ than _hostile,_ which was good in a lot of ways and bad in others. This is the kind of human they would have to worry about coming after them as if they were some kind of new discovery. Looked like he would be telling the Council about this.

As soon as they were far enough away that they could safely say they were okay to stop, Cas pulled to a halt and landed on the ground. He turned around and waited to be greeted by the two sheepish smiles of his friends.

"I hope you know we have to tell the Council about this." He said, disapproval seeping through his voice. Gabriel's head dropped down in shame.

"On the bright side, I got a handfull of the last herb Anna needed." He said, holding out a squished bundle of leaves. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Okay. You can go and give those to her while Balthazar and I go and talk to Uriel." Castiel said, not too keen on speaking with the head of the fae folk. He didn't have much in the way of mercy, and tended to lash out at fae who did things he considered "dangerous". Cas knew that if anything would be called dangerous, this was it.

"I love you, Cas." Gabriel said, fondly.

"Go, before I change my mind." Castiel said, firmly. Gabriel gave him a mock-salute before flapping off into the distance. Castiel didn't even have to look to know Balthazar was slowly trying to sneak off, and he reached out to grab his arm.

"Awwww, come on, Cassie." Balthazar tried. Cas cut him off with a glare.

"We have a long flight to go to get to the Council and an even longer waiting time before everyone in front of us is done presenting issues. You're not leaving me alone for that."

"You _exposed us_ to a human, for herbs we _didn't need?_" Uriel demanded, scathing hot with rage. Castiel was careful to keep his expression free of annoyance. Balthazar stood just behind him, using his shadow as a hiding place.

"He showed little to no signs of aggression. Blond hair, green eyes, unusually tall for a human. The council will probably decide to do nothing." Castiel put in, hoping to tide his rising anger. Uriel's eyes lit with a fiery anger, and Cas realized that that was the _exact_ wrong thing to say.

"What would you know of the Council? Castiel, I see it fit to remind you that you are first a _soldier_, and then a fae. Your duty is to your people and your people first. You recklessly acted on personal whim to help your friends and ended up endangering us all. You are a _Soldier, _Castiel." He reminded, towering above him. Castiel's face remained stoney. He knew what he was.

"I'm sorry, Uriel. I'll see fit to remember next time." He said, averting his gaze. Uriel seemed to drain of anger, letting out a dramatic sigh and putting his head in his hands.

"You two will stay here while we decide what we're going to do. I'm very disappointed in you." Uriel said, gesturing towards the empty row of chairs in the back. Castiel nodded, grabbing Balthazar's arm and pulling him along before he could object and get them both in even more trouble than before.

They sat in the back and Castiel began to zone out. Uriel was right; he had pledged himself to the Council and to his people, and he'd failed to see that through. As soon as an opportunity to run off and help his friends came along, he had abandoned common sense. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty over it.

"Come on Cassie, you're looking too serious." Balthazar whispered from beside him. Castiel shrugged.

"I'm a warrior. I'm supposed to be serious." He replied, dropping his eyes to the floor. He couldn't see it, but he knew Balthazar had frowned.

He almost missed it when Gabriel slipped into the seat on his other side, but the smell of sugar overdose with faint hints of coffee was too strong to be able to miss.

"Did you at least give the herbs to Anna?"

"Yep, and she's ecstatic. You should've seen her face. Actually, I believe we'll all be seeing her face shortly." Gabriel said, smirking. Castiel chose then to tune into the conversation that the elders were having.

"Yes, but _anyone_ knowing of us is a danger to the people. You can't honestly expect us not to do anything. It would go against our ways to kill the boy, but what are we supposed to do if he tells the entire world? We _have_ to do something. Do we have any kind of memory elixir?" Zachariah proposed. Several of the others nodded or mumbled in agreement.

"We do, but it would erase everything from at least the last few years. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to do that to someone. Imagine all of the _stories_ he would lose. He'd know nothing about the last few years of his life!" Metatron put in. Uriel watched over with vague interest.

"Well it's not like we can just send a soldier to talk to him. That would put one of our own at risk. We simply can't do something like that. And shrinking him down to take him into the colony would be dangerous. There's a 50% chance that his molecuels would reject the resizing and we'd kill him." Naomi said, partially thinking out loud. The others mumbled their agreements, and Castiel rolled his eyes. Of course, they couldn't just leave it alone.

"I'm afraid we'll have to give him the memory elixir. It won't be safe for the rest of us until he no longer remembers his small encounter." Uriel said, his voice ringing with authority. There was a moment of absolute silence, and he cleared his throat. "Alright then,-"

"WAIT!" Came a voice, feminine and urgent. Cas turned to see Anna, the doors swinging shut behind her as she walked briskly into the room. Her lab coat was stained and she had a bottle in her hand, grasped tightly. Her red hair was a mess and her brown wings were fluffed up with feathers askew from days without grooming. She had clearly been devoting herself to whatever she had been working on.

"What?" Uriel asked, looking annoyed. Anna held up the bottle, as if it held the answers to every question.

"This. This can solve our problem. I've been working for days to get it ready; I finally corrected our problem with shrinking non-plant based organic matter. We can do it, no risk to the human." She said, smiling.

"What is your proof?" Metatron asked, leaning forward. He looked intrigued.

"SNOWBELL!" Anna yelled. The doors opened again, less wide this time. Castiel looked with intrigue as a small, white Cat came prancing in, running straight towards Anna's feet. She quickly began to figure-eight between Anna's legs, purring loudly. Anna smiled.

"Intriguing. And since we've had no problems with growing matter, it would be easy to return him back to full-size when we've finished with him. This could be a great opportunity to figure more out about the human world. Maybe they are, indeed, ready to know of our existence?" Naomi proposed, smiling. "Anna, I do believe you've made the most important scientific development in the last fifty years."

Anna beamed with pride, her smile lighting up the room. The other council members turned to Uriel, most hoping that he would agree.

"Fine. But I'm going to put Castiel in charge of the human's keep and studying culture. As a punishment for his blatant disobedience. Anyone who assisted him," He added, eyes flickering back and forth between Gabriel and Balthazar, "Will also be expected to watch the human. If anything were to happen to him, or he were to hurt anything while in our care, you three will be held responsible. You _did_ minor in Human Culture while going through specialty training, correct?" Uriel asked, his question going directly to Castiel. Cas shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes. But I don't see how I'll be able to fulfill my Warrior duties while watching the human." He said, hoping to get out of it. Uriel raised an eyebrow.

"You will be relieved of your duties while you learn about their culture. You are a hammer, Castiel. You should be indifferent to which nail you're driving in." Uriel said. Castiel nodded.

"Yes, sir." He said, gritting his teeth. Great, now he was going to be held responsible for some big, lumbering, _dangerous_ human. Whether or not Gabriel and Balthazar were responsible too, if something were to happen, all of the blame would fall to him.

Uriel had had it out for him for _years_. Cas was never quite sure what exactly he did, but whatever it was, it must've been bad.

"Now, I want the four of you to work together and bring this human back. I want him in our custody by nightfall tomorrow." Uriel said, narrowing his eyes as if to say, 'have it done, or else.'

"Yes, sir." All of them chimed at the same time. Uriel looked towards the now empty line and sighed in relief.

"Council dismissed. We will meet again to talk to the human tomorrow." He announced.

As soon as the room was empty, Castiel turned towards Anna and Balthazar with a glare. He turned around, just to make sure that Gabriel saw it, too.

"I hope you three are happy. Now look at this disaster. Instead of a human culture expert, they have _me_ working with a human. Do you have any idea how much I remember from training school? Almost nothing. I find human culture fascinating, but this was _not_ a wise decision and it's _your _fault." He said, wings puffing out more and more the longer he talked. By the end of it they were almost twice their usual size.

"Calm down, Cassie. Come on, this'll be a good experience for you!" Balthazar said, smiling. Castiel slowly let his anger deflate, leaving him with cold, resigned dread.

"I hope you're right. Are we going to start making a plan?" He asked. The three of them nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is your long-awaited second chapter! Quick warning that a chapter sometime soon might be two or three days late- me and my mom are kinda going through some stuff right now and I'll be without wifi for a little while. Granted I may be at my father's house and able to post it exactly on time.**

**If you have any comments about the chapter or you want to express your undying love for it (which I am certain is there) but you don't want to do it here, I am on tumblr as mysticmoonhigh and I am tracking the tag "Of Fae and Feathers" and "OFAF", so if you post anything I will see it.**

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Dean stared blankly at his phone. Jo had ignored his messages for hours, doing...well, whatever the hell she was doing, and when she finally _did_ respond, she sent _that?_

_Don't hurt any of those bugs, they're important to the ecosystem. I'll explain more later but I'm super busy right now._ She'd said. Dean had stared down at his phone in absolute shock, feeling himself deflate. Really? That was the only explanation she had given him?

So, he decided to do some research of his own. He got out his laptop and plugged it into the Roadhouse's wifi, typing away and mumbling about it the entire time. He looked up an extensive list of bugs that were endangered, (because if she didn't want him to kill it, it seemed like there were logically not many there) dutifully typing every single one that came up into the search engine and looking up a picture. When he had scoped out the entire list, he let out a sigh of frustration. He hadn't found anything that looked even remotely like one of the ones he saw.

At the end of that, he googled, "Bugs with feathers". The only things that came up were fishing reels, (seriously, what the fuck) and some irrelevant shit like centipedes. The only thing that even looked promising was a youtube video that came up when he clicked over to "search", and even then, the bug pictured looked nothing like the ones he had seen.

Then, he finally gave up. Looking away so that he wouldn't have to see himself do it, he quickly typed in "fairies" and hit enter. Pages upon pages of images came up. He took a minute to fix himself something to eat before he continued searching, chomping down on microwaved food as he scrolled through. The taste distracted him from the shame of the fact that he was actually doing this.

He searched through pages and pages of results, coming up with nothing. There were plenty of fae and plenty of different interpretations, but none of them had looked _quite_ like what he had seen in the garden. The main difference was the feathered wings; most of the pictures here showed sparkly, iridescent bullshit meant to engage a six-year-old girl. A couple were feathered, but they were all too... well, Dean couldn't quite put his finger on it. But, different.

At the end of it, he was unsure of whether or not to be relieved. No, he hadn't found anything, which meant his only theory now was Jo's story. Unfortunately, _he hadn't found anything_, which made him feel crazy as hell. He let out a sigh and shut the laptop firmly, pushing it away.

Maybe he would feel a little better after a long night's sleep. After all, it wouldn't be that much longer until Jo would be home for good. Once Jo was back, he would be able to put all of this shit behind him and head back to the city. Back to his nice, big, empty apartment.

He grabbed the blankets and pulled them firmly up to his shoulders. His head brimming with thoughts, it seemed like it took him forever to drift off into sleep...

* * *

Castiel was staring down the building with a grim sort of determination.

"Alright, game plan time. Let's go over everything one last time, shall we?" Balthazar proposed, glancing to Cas for approval. Cas nodded.

"I'll work with Anna to get his mouth open and drop it on his tongue. It takes thirty minutes to take effect, and while that's happening, we'll look around his cabin and see what we can gather about human culture from that alone, just in case he doesn't talk. Gabriel will stand watch close by and make sure he doesn't wake up while Balthazar stands outside the door and ensures no other humans will be in the area when we carry him out. Any questions?" He clarifies. Gabriel raises his hand.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to _do_ for the half hour? I'm gonna be bored as hell."

"You shouldn't have gotten us into this mess in the first place. You'll deal with it." Castiel informed him, standing up straight and rigid. "Are we ready now?"

Everyone nodded or mumbled, and Cas took off into the air. He could hear the fold of feathers as the others followed behind him, flying towards the small makeshift house. Balthazar landed on the window once they were there and Anna helped him push down the door handle, opening it.

The cool air caused the human to stir.

Gabriel landed on a small stand beside the bed while Balthazar stayed on the window sill outside. Cas and Anna both flew together up towards the human's mouth, careful not to make any sudden moves or land anywhere close to him.

If Castiel was right, it was a male of the species. He had freckles dotting across his face that you could see even in the low light, making his skin seem paler than it actually was. He slept with his mouth open the smallest bit (which was a relief, because Cas wouldn't have to pry it open), and Cas could see that his lips were just a bit plumper than the average male. His eyelashes were thick, but not unnaturally long, and his nose crooked just a bit to the right. All in all, he was fairly appealing.

Anna grabbed his hand and began to rise, dragging him along with her. He flapped his wings as she did, nervous about the airflow waking the human but knowing that it was necessary if they had any hope of actually getting this to work. Anna dropped closer and closer to his slightly parted lips and uncapped the lid on the canteen they had brought. She slowly began to pour it, little by little, into the human's mouth.

He stirred, turning the slightest bit and giving a small cough. Anna stopped and froze briefly, tipping the canteen back up as fear lit up her features. After about ten more seconds of nothing happening, she let out a sigh of relief and quickly poured the last little bit in. She shook the canister, ensuring there would be none left. After all, it would be barely a few drops to the human.

"We have to wait until he salivates enough to wash all of it down. Once he has, it should start to take effect. He won't feel a thing as long as I mixed it correctly, but if I didn't, he might wake up with what feel like severe growing pains. If that happens, the next ten minutes would be hectic." She whispered. Castiel nodded. He had faith in Anna, and he knew that she'd mixed it correctly.

"Where do you want to look around first?" She asked, eyes scanning the room. Cas's landed on what he remembered to be called in class as a "magazine", and he immediately flew towards it, interested.

He landed on the cover and stared up at the words, intrigued. They spoke the same language and wrote with the same letters as humans, but these were almost too big to read in the dark. He thought he spotted the word "Asian", but he may have been wrong.

"Let's open this." He said to Anna. He grabbed the lower end of the book and pulled upwards, wings beating away as they tossed it over and to the side. He flinched at the loud crinkling sound it made, but ignored it for the most part.

Once opened, he and Anna both flew slightly above the pages, looking down to see what they could find.

Cas felt the blood rush to his face immediately, and he looked down to clear his throat. He glanced over at Anna, who had a smug look on her face. She let out a laugh at the flustered expression that Cas wore.

Inside was a picture of a female, shirtless. Her breasts hung down and were, honestly, probably too large to be correctly proportional to her body. He looked away, closing his eyes. Of all the things he expected to find, _that_ was not one of them.

"Of _course_ this is what you pick to look at, Castiel. It's been too long since Meg's hit on you, hasn't it?" Anna questioned. Cas felt his face heat up even more at the implication, and he resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands.

"For your information, Anna, Meg never 'flirted' with me. She grabbed me and kissed me without consent and we haven't spoken since. I didn't know what was going to be in the-" He grumbled. Anna gave him a weird look, and he stopped talking abruptly, realization dawning. "Oh. You're trying to tease me."

Anna nodded her head, weakly smiling and giving a shrug. "It's interesting that the females have body types like ours, though. I mean I suppose not everything is the same, but the upper body appears at the very least similar. I doubt they have the same channel that carries pollen to the ovaries, but with humans being so similar in other aspects, I wouldn't doubt that what they have between the legs is similar." She said, thinking out loud. Cas blinked.

"Why don't you continue flipping through this book while I go and investigate that glowing brick?" He volunteered. Anna nodded her consent and flew over to the next corner, flipping it over so that she could see the next page.

Cas flapped his wings hard and flew over to the small, rectangular device. He'd seen Jo working in her garden with one of these pressed up to her ear many times before, and he could honestly say that they were one of the things the humans had that fascinated him the most.

What little they did know of human culture, they got from Jo, and the other herb growers before her. Though they didn't talk much beyond their transactions, she seemed to be a shining beacon in the trash can of humanity. Or, at least, it was assumed that humanity was a trash can. The last time they'd tried to come out and show themselves, they'd called their science _'witchcraft'_ and wiped out entire villages, just because they were more advanced.

Humans had a history of mistaking science for magic, and that would be their downfall when it all came down to it. They assumed that things they didn't understand weren't rational. The fae were a very intellectual people and were much further advanced than the humans were. Really, if they would just _listen,_ they had a lot to learn from the fae.

Of course, fae worked with _alchemy._ The humans tended to work with _technology,_ which was profoundly different and, in Castiel's eyes, much more interesting.

He hopped on the button, and it lit up even brighter. He stared in curiosity down at a blinking "Slide to unlock", before he placed a foot gently on the arrow and slid. To his amazement, it actually worked.

After that, he was immediately entranced with the "notes" section of the phone. It was the first app that he clicked, and boy was he glad that he'd clicked it.

It had an entire pad full of letters that you could push. He would push a letter and it would appear on the screen seconds later. By accidentally mis-stepping, he found an entire keyboard of small pictures that you could insert into the text. He went through all of the ones he could find, taking note.

Half an hour went by fast. Soon, Gabriel was telling them in hushed tones that the human was shrinking, and to get their asses over there now because it might wake up.

Anna was the first to fly over, and Castiel saw her light up with joy when she realized that her project had gone off without a hitch. Her smile lit up her entire face as she beamed with pride.

"I did it." She said, sounding giddy. "It really worked. Cas, he's going to be loopy for a little while. You should pick him up and start flying him back now. It'll be better if you get there before he fully comes to. I think you're the only one with wings strong enough to carry two people." Anna said, circling the human. He slowly turned over, eyes blinking open briefly before he groaned and closed them again.

"You want me to pick it up?" Cas asked, baffled. "How? Isn't it going to start moving soon?"

"Do you want to do it now, or wait until later when it's fully cognizant and could push itself out of your arms?" Anna asked. Castiel let out a sigh and walked forward. He thanked the gods that the human's clothes had gotten some of the serum on them, because at least he wasn't naked.

He prayed to the gods he would have the strength to make this ten minute flight, and took off into the air.

The first half of the flight went smoothly. The wind was nice and the others flew silently behind him, all intent on getting home soon. He nestled up against Cas's chest compliantly, silent aside from the occasional yawn.

The second half of the trip was absolutely ridiculous.

The human wrapped his arms around Cas's neck and hung close. He actually, physically opened his eyes and looked up at Cas's face in the dark, mumbling incoherently. He started to let his hands roam up and down Cas's neck and arms. Cas himself wouldn't have thought anything of it, but he could hear the others behind him giggling away.

"Lookie there Cas! Looks like that one likes you!" Gabriel taunted, flying up beside him. Cas rolled his eyes and let out an irritated growl.

"If you think this is so funny, why don't you hold him?" Cas demanded. Gabriel stopped flying, hovering in air with gentle flaps of his wings. Cas turned around and faced him, his arms full of human.

He tried to push Dean into Gabe's arms, but found that there was a problem.

"No." The human complained, arms tightening around Cas. Gabriel grabbed the human, and was promptly kicked away. Castiel stared in shock, eyes wide as Gabriel went into a burst of loud, obnoxious laughter.

"See? You're just his favorite, Cas!" He exclaimed. Balthazar was laughing with him, and even Anna was hiding her own giggles behind her hand.

"I'm going home." He said, after a moment.

"Ooooh, taking him home already, Cas? We didn't think you were that kind of guy!" Gabe called out. Castiel ignored him. He had better fucking things to do; after all, this was technically a mission. If he fucked up on this, there would be royal consequences. And they still had about three minutes of flying left to go. With the human being this close to awake, he would have to fly fast.

They seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation after a moment, because the laughter slowly died down. It was replaced by flying as fast as they possibly could, barreling towards Cas's house. When they had discussed it earlier, they thought it would be best to keep him there; it was higher up and gave him the least chance of running off if he felt so inclined. After all, there was no way he would survive in the forest without any weapons or skill with the problems they faced at their size.

They arrived with what was probably moments to spare. The human was groaning and shifting, and almost pushed himself out of Cas's arms as he landed on his doorstep.

Anna opened up his door as soon as she landed, and Cas carried the human inside. He was groaning and mumbling the entire way, his eyes shut tight against the light once Cas had brought him through. Cas made a mental note to re-soak his glowing stones in the mix that made them glow; it was getting a little dark in here at night. And, if he wanted it dark, he could always pull a blanket out of the closet and throw it over them. So it wasn't like he would be stuck with an obnoxious glow while trying to sleep if he decided to repaint.

Plus, a little light in his bedroom never really bothered Castiel.

Luckily, the human let go when he was shoved off and onto the couch. He groaned a little and shifted around, as if he were trying to get comfortable.

_Good,_ Cas said, mentally, _That's where you'll be sleeping tonight._

Gabe and Balthazar weren't far behind, and they both seemed to be ready to get down and dirty. They both wore expressions of determination and curiosity.

"What's he doing?" Balthazar asked, looking towards the couch. Cas remained silent, looking up towards the ceiling. He couldn't have any less interest in their questions. Balthazar wasn't blind. He could check and see for himself.

Gabe went over by the couch and tentatively poked the human, causing him to stir. Balthazar scoffed and reached out to smack Gabriel's hand, and Gabe's feathers fluffed up in protest. "What the hell?"

"Stop molesting it, it's trying to sleep." Balthazar pointed out, gesturing towards Dean with wild gestures. Castiel and Anna shared a look.

Suddenly, Balthazar and Gabe stopped talking. It took Cas a moment to realize that, realize _what that probably meant_, and act accordingly. As soon as it clicked his head whipped towards the couch, eyes drinking in the sight of the slightly confused human. Wide, green eyes stared up at him curiously in the dim light.

"Where the hell am I?"

* * *

Dean felt _funny_. He felt stretched and compressed and everything felt a little weird. There was this taste on the inside of his mouth that was like cotton clogging his senses.

The first thing that really registered was that it was damn _cold._ For a summer's night, anyways. Air kept hitting him all over and he wanted to curl up into a ball to protect himself. He tried to open his eyes but when he did, all he saw was darkness, and there was a certain kind of sting that came with it. He figured that it was probably a dream, and gave up trying to open them.

If there was a distinct moment when he realized that whatever was pressed against him wasn't, in fact, his blanket, he doesn't remember. But the cold and the feeling of weightlessness had him feeling too detached to really care. His arms wrapped around a neck for a little while, just clinging to the warmth. When he started to clear up a little more, his hands began to wander, sliding over smooth, warm skin.

He noticed immediately that whatever this was was male. He shrugged a little (or at least, he _thinks _he might have) and continued on his way, scoping out the body that had arms wrapped around him.

He was no stranger to wet dreams. His personally usually involved women more than men, but he had a distinct interest in both sexes, so it didn't really bother him that his brain had decided to switch teams for this one.

Suddenly, he heard a rough voice coming from above. It sounded like gravel, just the right amount of bumps and tone changes to make a shiver go up his spine. Oh, this was _certainly_ a dream.

A second, younger voice. He couldn't really make out what they were saying, but it didn't matter right then. He was wondering when this show was going to get on the road; it was his dream, so why wasn't the environment reacting to what he wanted? Shouldn't things be getting on around this time, now that he realized it was just him.

Thinner arms wrapped around him, giving a gentle tug. He felt a vague wave of panic as he realized suddenly that, A) he had no control, and B) he must have been _really fucking high off the ground_. Because there was that stupid, hovering feeling he got in his stomach whenever he was in the air and it sucked ass, monumentally. He got his shit together just enough to kick out at whoever was trying to take him, feeling his foot hit their mark.

It was weird, but he felt a little safer knowing that whoever was holding his sorry ass would be holding it the entire time.

Another exchange of words, and they were moving again. His body was slowly beginning to come back to normal, and he was beginning to think that this was a night terror. He had more control over himself now, but was now certain that whatever was happening, he would not get a say in it.

Finally, he felt solid ground being reached. A door swung open and he was carried inside. Wherever he was, it had half-dimmed lights and was warmer than it was outside. He tried not to get too scared; all of this was feeling pretty damn scary... If someone had kidnapped him, he didn't think he would make it away before some nasty shit happened. He'd seen people kill before. He didn't want to join them now.

He got dumped onto a couch, (at least, it felt like a couch) and he let the other go, forcing himself to calm down. This was probably all just some kind of a big, stupid misunderstanding. He was probably just having a really, really fucking bad nightmare. Or, maybe someone was surprising him?

Okay, that sounded fucking stupid, he knew it. But he had to keep his head on straight.

Slowly, his eyes began to follow his commands. They opened, and a gasp tore itself from his lungs.

"Where the hell am I?" He demanded.

The place was small. It looked to be made of wood, with swirling patterns of bark and moss all along the walls. His fear about the situation almost momentarily vanished; if someone wanted to hurt him, this was not the place they would do it. There were small stones stacked along the outer edges in the room, and one large one sitting in the middle of it. All of them were glowing, which created the dim light. Jars and vases sat on a table in the far corner, and a curtain of moss acted as a door. There was a bookshelf pressed up against one wall, filled with what appeared to be pages and pages of loose-leaf paper, bound together by small metal rings.

Most curious, though, was the four people who stood, watching him intently.

One of them was tall with platinum blonde hair, wings like a rainbow stretching out behind him. Dean tilted his head as his eyes continued, taking in the others. Tall, black hair, eyes so blue he could see them even with the dim light. Long, golden hair that matched the color of his wings. Red hair, brown wings, pale with nice, delicate features. Their clothing was all green; all the men were wearing tunic-like wraps, while the woman was in a shorter skirt, a lab coat unbuttoned and showing off her plain white shirt. Dean couldn't put his finger on it, but the fabric all looked different than what he wore.

When it finally clicked in his brain that he had seen three of them before, and _where _he had seen them, his dream theory was revisited.

"I'm either going crazy, or I'm dreaming." He said, out loud. He looked down at his hands, beginning to count his fingers. He'd read somewhere that you could wake yourself up by proving that whatever was happening wasn't real, and that when people dreamed, they always counted things different each time.

"You're neither, buckaroo." Said one. He recognized the voice from earlier, and refused to look up. He was concentrating on what he was doing now.

"You know, I never thought of how to actually explain this to him." Came a voice, female. Dean had counted each hand four times now, and nothing had changed. He was starting to get damned frustrated.

"I don't think you really can. Let's just watch him wig out." Was said, again by the one with the longer, golden hair. Dean gave up his counting method then, looking up.

"Gabriel, that's mean." Said the female. Gabriel stuck out his tongue at her, crossing his hands over his chest like an insolent child.

"All, of you, stop." The voice of gravel commanded, making all of the others freeze. There was a short, quiet pause before he walked over to Dean, sitting down on the coffee table across from where he lay. He looked down to realize that what he had believed to be a couch was made out of wood and a thick cushioning of moss, with swirls and pieces almost as big as his fingers. He looked up into the blue eyes, hoping for some sort of explanation.

Blue-eyes paused.

"You have endangered our people with your actions. We have to keep you here now to make sure you're not a threat. If you prove yourself to be safe, we'll return you home safely in a few days's time." He said, slowly. Dean processed this.

"You. You _kidnapped_ me. Because I saw you in Jo's garden_._" He said, slowly.

" _'Kidnapped'_ is such a strong word." The taller one put in. The redhead elbowed him.

"Balthazar!" She hissed. She gave a small, nervous laugh, and turned to Dean with a smile plastered onto her face. "Don't think of it that way! We just needed you to stay with us for a little while to make sure we're safe. It's like... An unexpected, free vacation."

"Oh my god." Dean said, turning away from them. "I've been kidnapped." He repeated.

"If you cooperate, you can be on your way in a week flat. Maybe even less." Balthazar put in. Dean turned towards him, eyes carefully concealing his panic. The last thing he should do right now is panic. He _should_ think of this like a vacation. A wild, hallucinated vacation.

Thinking back, he's pretty sure that this is because he did some acid in high school. He read somewhere that it can stay in your system for years afterwards, and sometimes it makes a nasty reappearance. Out of all of the explanations swimming around in his head, that one made the most sense. He cursed his stupid friend for pulling him under the bleachers and convincing him that it was a good idea. This? Was not the same as it was back then. This was weird and freaky and scary.

Plus, there were a lot less colors and music than he remembered.

"I want to leave now. What would my brother think? He's going to call me in a few days. They're going to send people looking for me. What are you gonna do then?" He demanded, deciding to play along. This trip would probably only last a few hours, so that was his best bet. Balthazar smirked, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Oh, you haven't realized yet? This should be entertaining. Cassie, you've got a smart one on your hands." He teased. At first, Dean thought he was talking to the redhead, but the man in front of him is the one who responded.

"Whatever Anna gave him is obviously taking some kind of effect on his full mental capacities. You can't honestly expect him to put two and two together right now." He said, mumbling a little. He looked up at Dean, blue eyes seeming to pierce through his soul. "I believe we should wait to continue this talk in the morning."

"So you just expect me to sleep here, on your couch, without any kind of explanation as to what's going on?" Dean demanded. "Well that just sounds peachy. I won't even need to count sheep at this rate."

"Cassie" looked at him in slight confusion. "There are no sheep here." He said. Dean tilted his head, eyebrows furrowing together. What?

"Sarcasm, Castiel." The redhead put in. Oh, so Cassie was a nickname? Castiel sounded like a fucking mouthful. She turned to him. "We did explain the situation to you, as clearly as we can. Is there anything in specific that you don't understand?"

"Only just about everything." Dean said, smiling in false enthusiasm. She rolled her eyes and turned, wings puffing up in agitation.

"You're right, we should just explain it to him in the morning. You need to get to bed; Uriel will be wanting to see him bright and early tomorrow. I don't think he'll like it if we wait until noon to prove we have him in our care." She said. Dean could physically feel his brain turning into mush from all of the talk about things he didn't understand. What about needing to see a urinal?

"You're right. Get out of my house; I'll see you in the morning." Castiel said. "Goodnight, Anna. Balthazar. Gabriel." He commanded. Dean took mental note that all of their names were a little bit batshit and Anna was the only rational one. Not that it really mattered, of course. He would go to sleep tonight and wake up in the morning back in his own bed, call himself stupid for believing this was _actually happening,_ and everything would go back to being as normal as it possibly could be.

The others shuffled out the door, cold air coming in as they took off. They all spared quick goodbyes, and Dean shook his head to clear it.

Castiel rose to go himself. Dean turned to look over his shoulder as he stalked off into another room, this covered by a layer of moss acing as a door between them. Dean waited until he was gone to decide what to do.

If he were to try and sneak out, he might end up doing something stupid. _Especially_ if he was hallucinating. If he were to stay here, he might wake up in the morning and find he was somewhere dangerous, but he also might be in his bed perfectly fine.

All in all, the choice was pretty damn clear.

He curled up on the moss, and, albeit slowly, fell asleep.

* * *

**The next update should be next Sunday if all goes as planned- I am currently 82% done with the story. That's right on track to be finished in around 20 days. After that, there will be less two-week chapter wait periods.**

**Please review! I live off of finding out what you all think. The only way I can improve is hearing what you're enjoying/not enjoying about the story to add more/do less of those things!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I wasn't able to get to work for the update for this for awhile, please forgive me.**  
**Please leave kudos, comments, etc. So I know you're real people thank**  
**WARNING: Potentially triggering dialogue in this chapter; Dean is worried he might be drugged, the discussion gives allusion to some things he would be drugged for. Obviously none of this happens, I just wouldn't want to trigger anyone**.

* * *

When Dean awoke, his head hurt. His body ached as if he had just grown an inch overnight, and he let out a small groan. He turned a little bit, partially willing himself to go back to sleep. His face rubbed against the cool moss,-

Wait. Moss?

He sat up sharply, eyes opening as he breathed in a gasp. He scanned the room, head pounding as he attempted to sort through his memories. It all slowly came back in small and frustrating waves; sounds, then sensation, then finally sight and it all clicked together.

An acid trip really shouldn't last this long, especially not since he'd slept in between now and then. Nothing looked fun. There were no lights, no colors, no illusions. Which left two conclusions that Dean had to decide between; one, this was real, and two, there was something very, _very_ wrong with him.

Considering the fact that number one was batshit crazy, he decided to settle on option number two. He was probably in a coma right now, or passed out in a pile of trash with a concussion. (Do concussions even cause hallucinations?)

All of this lead to one very specific realization; he _had_ to do _something_ before they came back. What if this was one of those weird, "find-the-right-door" comas where he had to look for his own way out? What would they do then?

He stood, trying his best to be quiet as he walked to what he assumed was the front door. Looking over his shoulder to make sure that nobody was going to catch him, he slowly pushed it open, savoring the warm summer air that drifted through. It was much warmer than last night had been.

His eyebrows lifted when he looked out, seeing how large the trees were. The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon, and it streaked through the green of the forest in a way that could only be described as beautiful. A mother with a firm grasp on her child's hand flew, (yes, _flew_) past him, wings sparkling in the light of morning.

The last thing he noticed was that he was at least three hundred feet off the ground.

Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration. But compared to his current height, it sure as hell looked like three hundred fucking feet. There was a small stone ledge that looked like it served as a landing tool, but apart from that, there was no way down that he could make out. He would have no way to escape.

Another small lump of panic decided to lodge itself in his throat. He knew that without a way down, he was trapped with a man he didn't know until he saw it fit to release him. Not to mention that if he were to try and escape then, he'd have to fight off _at least _one of those fairies.

(Internally, he cringed at having allowed himself to use the word. He should not accept this, damnit!)

With his thoughts swirling away at the speed of light, he didn't even notice the footsteps until Castiel was already behind him.

"Enjoying the view?"

Dean jumped, his balance slowly tilting as he attempted to regain his logic thought. Panic began to rise up in him as he felt himself begin to fall forward, and he _swore _his life flashed before his eyes. He only had to worry for a moment, though, because a firm hand grasped his arm and pulled him forcefully back inside, backing up a few steps to insure Dean's balance wouldn't be an issue.

"Uriel would be disappointed if he doesn't at least get to meet you." He said, releasing his grip on Dean. If Dean wasn't just imagining it, he could almost detect a _hint_ of sarcasm in that voice.

"O-Okay?" He squeaked out, uncertain of what else he could say.

There was a pause, and Dean turned to face Cas. He felt his own eyebrows draw together and knew he was properly conveying his confusion, but Cas seemed unwavered. His eyes were large and blue, much bluer than any human's would have the right to be.

"Your name is Cas, right?" Dean asked, feeling annoyance begin to invade. Those blue eyes were still unwavering, fairly indifferent as he answered.

"My name is Castiel, yes." He said, tone flat. And if that didn't just, (metaphorically, of course) ruffle Dean's feathers...

"Well listen here, _Castiel,_" Dean started, his voice starting to take on a tone of sass and anger, "Let me tell you something about us humans. Being kept somewhere, for _any_ length of time, and not allowed to leave, is called kidnapping. And believe it or not, it's taken as an insult."

"I have my orders. I'm not allowed to release you until you've met with Uriel and he's deemed that you're not a threat to our way of life. Whether or not he decides so is entirely up to you." Cas said. Many would believe this to be devoid of reaction too, but Dean could see through it. There was this small twinge of annoyance...

"Well buddy, I have news for you. I can't do anything to your people if I'm put back where I came from. It's a win-win situation, everybody gets what they want, and your stupid boss can take that and shove it up his ass." Dean said, cheerily. Castiel stared at him for a few moments before he turned away, feathers slightly askew as he walked. It was clear that Dean was being ignored. "Could you at least tell a guy where the bathroom is?"

"There's a "bathroom" behind that curtain. When you're done, come behind that one." Castiel said, gesturing towards two of the exits. Dean opened his mouth to ask why or make a stupid remark, but in the end he decided better of it.

He walked over to the moss, finding an odd, finished-wood bucket. It had obviously been glazed in something, because it was smooth to the touch. If he was right, this would be so liquid wouldn't stay and soak into the wood.

As soon as he was done and he'd washed his hands, (there was a small bucket and a root next to a larger hollowed out piece of wood directly carved into the ground, which he assumed was a bath. He dipped his hands in the cool water and rubbed until they felt a little more clean, using the chill to center himself) he walked out of the room, brushing fingers along jeans.

The main room was empty, so Dean walked straight into the one Cas had indicated earlier, forcing himself not to think on it too much. Inside he was greeted with a wonderful smell, and he took a deep inhale before really assessing the situation.

Cas stood in front of a small fire, contained by what looked like a piece of clay molded into a small oven. He had something sizzling in the pan, and the scent wafted over to Dean as though sent (he he, sent, scent, get it?) specifically for his nose to enjoy. He couldn't help but tilt his head a little in curiosity. He had to admit, he wouldn't have expected Cas to be a good cook.

"Is that breakfast?" He asked hopefully. Castiel looked away long enough to nod at Dean, and Dean suddenly felt his stomach give a deep growl.

He realized that it had been _forever_ since he'd eaten. Which, of course, made his next realization even harder and more tragic.

He couldn't trust Cas. What if he had slipped something into his food while Dean was trying to figure out the weird bucket-sink? (Or what that fucking root was-though that's not the point of this). What if he had drugged Dean? There would be no way to be sure. While he was here, he would probably just have to go without breakfast.

Cas soon removed the cooking utensil from the clay-oven, grabbing smaller plates (they appeared to be carved out of small rocks, which Dean thought was actually kind of cool) and dumping the food onto it.

After a few minutes of Dean just staring at it, Cas quirked his head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"How do I know you didn't slip something into this? I was gone in the bathroom long enough, and you're not eating any of it." Dean pointed out. Cas stared for a moment, processing what he had said.

"What would be my motive? You're already captive here. You can't leave unless I specifically let you. I have no reason to drug you." Castiel said. Dean technically couldn't argue with that logic, but he was in a bad mood and wasn't about to let it go that easy.

"Really? What would be your _motive_? Don't even act like you don't know there are lots of things I'd be more cooperative for if I was passed out." He said, pissy.

Cas walked over and grabbed a fork, cutting into the small, green substance that smelled like decadence. He ate a small bite and put the fork back down, leaving it besides Dean. Dean stared while he chewed, waiting a few seconds before he picked up the fork and copied the motion. There really wasn't much he could do to other than that; he'd made his point, and he'd been proven wrong. It would be stupid of him now to turn down food.

He ate fast; it tasted a little thicker and richer than eggs, but he could still sense the likeness there. He wondered briefly what it was before he decided that, with this being his own mind coming up with all this stuff, it would probably be better not to ask.

As soon as he was done Cas picked up his plate and deposited it into another small bin, this empty but coated in the same clear substance as the toilet (and now that Dean thought of it, the sink and bathtub, too). He looked in curiosity as Cas turned to look out a window, foot tapping impatiently as he scanned the horizon. Dean wanted to ask what it was, but before he got the chance, Cas turned.

He looked ready for something. It looked as though he were hardening a shell, worry creasing his face. "Get ready, Anna is coming to tell us that Uriel is ready to see us. If you want to get out of here as quickly as possible, I would suggest that you mentally prepare yourself." He mumbled. Dean vaguely remembered Anna as the redhead who had been there last night, and he nodded his head.

"Hey Cas," Dean said, something dawning on him suddenly, "How do we plan to get me down from this place?"

Cas opened his mouth to respond, but for nigh. Anna burst through the door, hair a little wild and wind-whipped, a large smile plastered onto her face. She directed all of it at Cas. "I'm so happy you let them be idiots. I got promoted to the head of the board!"

"The board of alchemy science?" Cas asked, looking confused. Anna nodded her head, and Cas's emotionless facade cracked enough to show that he was, in fact, impressed with the accomplishment. "Anna, that's wonderful. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

"I'm so happy Castiel. This is what I've always wanted." She said, nodding. Dean tilted his head a little, not quite understanding.

"So, you got a job promotion for shrinking me down to your size?" Dean asked. He couldn't help but feel a little bit weary of that; what kind of a culture praised people for inventing something and then promptly using that invention to kidnap and hold hostage what was basically now a prisoner?

He forced himself to calm down. No, he wasn't a prisoner here. Well, he was, but this was different than jail. He'd spent a couple of nights in places like that before, and he'd always felt more than frightened of everyone and everything. One thing seemed prominent about these people, though, and that was that they wouldn't hurt him. If they were going to, they would have by now.

"More than just a regular job promotion. I'm the head of ingenuity. My name will go down in historical scrolls for centuries. If I do something ground breaking enough, and let me tell you that this just may count, children will learn my name in schools. It's... It's my dream job." She said.

Dean felt the bitter tang of anger, but pushed it down. After all, she wasn't the one deciding that he stay here. No, apparently that was some douche named "Uriel".

"Well good for you. Now can we please get to the part where you take me to Darth Vader so I can leave this death star?" He questioned. Anna slowly tilted her head, eyebrows scrunching together.

"Was that a human reference?" She questioned. Dean paused before nodding his head, realizing that not only were these people kidnappers, but they wouldn't get half of his jokes! Which was a damn shame, because he was fucking hilarious most of the time.

"Yes, it was a human reference." He finally said, nodding his head.

"Okay, good. If you'll be staying around any longer than today, I expect you to explain it to us." She said, smiling broadly. Dean felt a little worry churn in his stomach at the thought that he might be staying for more than just this one day, but he pushed it down. All he had to do was make a good impression on their freaky fairy king, and then he would be gone.

Right?

"Let's go." Anna finally said. She turned, taking off of the porch like it was the most natural thing in the world. And, Dean supposed, to her it just might be. Dean was so wrapped up in thinking about how it was even possible their wings lifted their body that he didn't notice what was happening until he had already been hoisted into the air, arms firmly planted underneath him, sweeping his feet off the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" He demanded, attempting to push Cas away. Those arms were locked around him in a death grip, though, and it refused to let up. Cas looked vaguely annoyed as he continued walking towards the doorway.

"Well you didn't expect to get there through magic, did you?" He questioned. Dean felt the need to make a Merlin reference, but refrained for the time being.

"Dude, I'm afraid of heights actually so if we could just-" Dean started, continuing to squirm around. He really didn't want to be that far above the ground, the wind whipping his hair and quite literally his life in someone else's hands.

"We're not going to be late." Cas said, firmly. "You're going to have to deal with it for now."

"We can walk the way back, if that would make you more comfortable. But we really need to get you there now if you want to have a chance of getting back today." Anna put in. Dean thought for a moment, slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was going to have to do this.

"Fine." He finally admitted, reluctantly. Cas took another step forward, and he made a noise, squirming again to get him to stop. Cas paused and looked at him, bright blue eyes alight with exasperation. Dean waited until the look had faded a little before he added, "But be careful."

Cas rolled his eyes and started walking again. Dean's eyes shut tight, nose scrunching up in distaste as his stomach lurched, the feeling of being off the ground rising up. As embarrassing as it was, he couldn't keep himself from forming a death grip around Cas's midsection, keeping his arms locked in place.

"Anna seems optimistic." He observed, dryly. Dean listened to him, if only to distract him from the fact that _holy fuck_, he was actually flying. Off the ground. Way off the fucking ground.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, hoping to get Cas talking.

"Well, Uriel really sounded like he wanted you to stay. He would expect more results from a project like this than simply assurance. I believe he will require you to stay for a few days, if anything just to teach us about your culture." Cas mumbled, his voice deep and grounding. With Dean's mind taken off of how high they were, slowly but surely focusing on Cas's words, he relaxed.

"Really?" He asked. There wasn't much he could do about it at that point; it was what it was. He was still pissed and frustrated, but he couldn't bring himself to get worked up about it when he was so focused on controlling his anxiety.

"Yes. You'll probably be living with one of the four of us. I- I don't believe it's right to keep you here against your own free will, so we can discuss with the group the possibility of you choosing where you would like to sleep. I believe Balthazar has a guest bed, if you would rather not sleep on the couch."

"Why did they put me with you in the first place, then?" Dean asked. Cas paused.

"My house is high up enough that you wouldn't have been able to escape. Balthazar's is only about a foot off the ground, and Gabriel and Anna's are right on level with it. You wouldn't be in much better shape if you left theirs alone either, though. These woods are more dangerous than you could imagine, I promise you that." He said. Dean stiffened, and he added, "It's fairly safe in a group. But wandering off alone without being used to your size would be suicide."

"Noted." Dean mumbled.

It wasn't much longer until they set down, feet touching ground again. Dean had been counting in his head to distract himself once the speech had died down, and he was so focussed on what he was doing that he hadn't even realized that they had landed.

"Dean." Cas said. "_Dean,_" He emphasized again, raising his voice a little. Dean's eyes opened, staring up into Cas's blue ones. "You can let go now. We're here."

"Oh." Dean said, dumbly. He slowly released his hold from around Cas, allowing himself to be put back down onto the ground. Cas brushed him off with his hands, frowning a little bit as he mumbled something about being 'unpresentable'. Dean tried to ignore the sting of the insult.

"Come on Cas, he's been waiting long enough!" Anna called. Castiel looked up from what he was doing and nodded, frowning a bit and looking rugged.

"Be on your best behavior if you would like to leave any time soon." Cas announced. Dean nodded his head solemnly, gesturing for Cas to follow Anna to where they were going. Which, of course, was a large, circular, wooden shack made out of what had to have been the largest acorn Dean had ever seen, shoved halfway into the ground.

"Are you ready?" Cas asked, standing at the doors. Anna peaked them open and he could see rows and rows of seats, blue velvet lining the floor as they slowly got lower and lower, leading to a large chair seated at the lowest point, other chairs surrounding it.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He admitted, shrugging a little bit. That was apparently good enough for Cas, because the doors swung open, and he was about to meet their leader.

* * *

Cas sheepishly played around with his tie, trying to calm his nerves. He knew Dean, from their short conversations and the contents of his bedroom, to be a human being who lacked some social finesse. He could only pray that Uriel would see it too.

Thirty minutes into his questioning, though, he could tell that he was absolutely screwed.

Dean answered everything honestly, from what he could tell. But his answers were all wrong. Uriel was asking a series of questions about his past and present, his personality, hobbies, likes, if he had broken human laws and if so how many, and everything that could have gone wrong did.

Dean got angry at the prying into his life about halfway through, and his voice became rough and quick, cutting to the point. He no longer made jokes, but looked angrily at Uriel as his questions became more and more personal, and more and more ridiculous. Castiel knew that Uriel was just asking those questions to gauge whether or not Dean had a temper, but Dean, however, appeared to be none the wiser.

"How many deep and meaningful relationships have you had in your life? How many sexual partners?" He asked. Something in Dean seemed to crack at this, anger finally seeping through his calm exterior.

"Listen, are you gonna let me go or not?" He demanded, clearly bitter. "I've already answered all of your questions, I don't know what more you want. Do you need a fucking blood sacrifice before you're gonna let me leave? I'm not answering any more stupid questions."

Uriel's face looked a little too smug as he stared up at Dean. "Well then, there is no question. You are to remain here until I believe you are no longer a threat. We'll meet back here in seven days' time, to see if you've grown to respect our people. Castiel will be in charge of teaching you our ways and collecting information on humans from you."

Anger rose up in Dean, visible from where Cas sat. He thought about standing up, running over and getting him to leave before any more damage could be done. A very small part of him put in that it would be great if Dean got mad and killed Uriel.

"You never intended to let me leave in the first place! This is absolutely bullshit. You can't just hold me hostage." Dean growled. Uriel glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, but I believe I just ordered for just that. You're not helping my opinion of you."

"But... Didn't you guys say you knew Jo?" He asked desperately, turning around. Gabriel, who had joined them with Balthazar about fifteen minutes into the disaster, nodded his head helpfully. "She can vouch for me. I'm supposed to be taking care of her garden right now."

"Well then, when she comes back, she can "vouch". For now, this discussion is over." Uriel said curtly. He rose, turning and walking up the other side of the council room stairs. Dean watched him go with a lost look on his face, mouth hanging slightly open.

"Well, that didn't go as well as I was hoping." Castiel said, finally braking the silence. Dean looked down, and Cas could see the upset in his eyes. He felt his chest give a small squeeze; although he was a nuisance, now he was _Castiel's_ responsibility, and he couldn't help empathizing with his situation.

He would be pretty scared if something similar had happened to him.

"Yeah, you think?" Dean asked. Cas got up and walked over to him, placing a consoling hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, they won't keep you here forever. And like I said, if you would like to stay with Balthazar or Gabriel or Anna, you do have that choice. I just need you to cooperate with me for the time being. I can fulfill my duties and you can get home sooner." He suggested. Dean looked a little more hopeful at that.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go and do... Well, whatever we're gonna do for the next week." Dean suggested.

"Ooooh, Cassie, let's take him down to the pond!" Balthazar suggested. Gabriel perked up, running over to Cas and slinging an arm around his shoulder. Balthazar was still steadily making his way over, but with a walk instead of the enthusiastic skipping.

"Cas, please! It's been forever since I've gone there and the babes are totally missing me." Gabriel suggested. "Your wings could use a little shine up too, doll. How long has it been?"

Castiel shifted uncomfortably, a blush coloring his cheeks. "You both know I've never partook in such activities."

"Whoa there. What are you talking about?" Dean asked. Castiel felt the heat rise to his face even more, and he jabbed Gabriel in the side with his elbow as a punishment.

"Nothing. We can go to the pond, but only if Dean explored your homes first. I expect you to be willing to take him in if he decides that he wishes to stay with you." Castiel said, firmly. Gabriel and Balthazar both exchanged glances before nodding vigorously.

Castiel resisted the urge to put his face in his hands and groan. Those two would be the death of him in any given situation, on any given day, and now he had just agreed to show Dean _the pond_ first, when a more suitable activity would be the plays, the basket weavers, literally anything other than the place fae go to flirt and clean their wings.

Of course, sometimes that had a double meaning.

"We should go to the lab first, I forgot to feed snowball this morning." Anna put in. "My house is right by where I work so it'll be easy to swing there afterwards."

Castiel considered this. This would give time for Gabriel and Balthazar to gossip, get out their nervous energy, and think about what they would do when they got there. (Sometimes, they liked to team up in absolutely ridiculous ploys to get the attention of women).

"I think that would be a good idea." He allowed, nodding. Anna smiled her thanks at him, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Dean's own narrow. He felt his eyebrows pull together, but quickly dismissed the odd look. "Let's go now."

* * *

It didn't take long until they were in front of the lab, beakers and test tubes and bunsen burners galore all combined with a mixture of cauldrons, earthy ingredients, and frankly, witchcraft materials that gave it an odd mixture of the new and old age look.

Dean immediately walked over to a beaker of blue liquid, picking it up without permission and looking at the contents. Anna went in right after him, distracted as she called out Snowbell's name. Cas's head turned as he hear a small crash, and was greeted with the site of Dean messily trying to cover a small pile of broken blue glass and liquid with a stray piece of wood.

He smiled a little bit, pretending like he didn't notice. A small part of him couldn't deny that he found the act to be rather adorable, for a human. Not that he wasn't still pissed off that he'd been given this responsibility.

_Well, at least the human is endearing_, he thought, seeing his face light up in recognition as he saw Anna's arms full of a white ball.

"Dude, you have-" He was cut off by a large sneeze, arm coming up to stop it. The cat's hair raised in Anna's hands as she looked at Dean warily. "-you have a cat? A miniature cat?"

"Yeah. We just got her a few days ago. Actually, it was how I knew the shrinking serum was going to work on you." Anna said. Dean sneezed yet again, and Cas tried to stop the corners of his lips from tilting upwards. Dean, however, didn't look so pleased to hear this news.

"You thought it would work on me because it worked on a _cat?" S_neeze, "Do you know how much that could have gone wrong?"

"Well, you're here to complain so I would say that it's a success." Anna said smoothly, standing up a little bit straighter and walking away. Dean sent a panicked glance to Cas, who simply shrugged, which earned an even more mortified look.

"We tend to function a little different than humans. Fae are well-oiled machines of intuition and knowledge. If it wouldn't have worked on you for any reason, we would have known it and would not have risked you by administering it." He said, once Anna was out of hearing range.

"You make it sound like you think with a colony mind. You- you don't think with a colony mind, do you?" Dean questioned. Castiel felt his head tilt to the side a little bit, and he fought his urge to immediately question. He knew he had trouble comprehending metaphors sometimes, and he wanted to be sure that this wasn't just something he was misunderstanding.

Actually, he'd had troubles with that ever since he was a child. He'd never really understood why people said the things they did, wasn't very good at reading people. He'd been told it was because he spent too much time working; he was one of the best workers in their army, and Uriel was constantly sending him on missions to retrieve things or send messages to other colonies. He spent a lot of time by himself, despite Gabriel and Balthazar trying constantly to drag him out of the house.

Because when they did, shit like this happened.

"I don't understand." He finally said, blinking. Dean stared for a moment before it was interupted by a sneeze.

"Well, um, you know how ants are, right? I think it's ants, anyways. They can like, read each other's minds or something." Dean supplied, placing his hands on his hips. Cas's eyebrows drew together and he stepped a little closer as he felt Snowball brush up against the back of his legs.

"No, we don't have anything like that. There have been a few fae born with special abilities like knowing what another is thinking, but that was largely due to inhumane experiments on mothers at the time. It wasn't healthy." He rambled, looking up. The human was taller than him, and he found himself exploring the green of his eyes. Moss green; like in the right lighting it would fade into brown.

"You guys ready to go?" Anna questioned. Castiel's eyes shifted to her's and he nodded, his feathers fluffing up in anticipation of flight. He reminded himself that they were going to have to walk, and felt his stomach sink.

When he walked outside, he was glad that Gabriel and Balthazar hadn't come in with them.

Balthazar stood above Gabriel, pushing him down on a rock they had flipped upwards and placed between two round boulders to make it appear phallic, while Gabriel made loud and inappropriate sexual noises. Dean immediately burst into a fit of laughter, hugging his sides as he did. Anna smiled a little bit, clearly amused but also trying not to laugh.

"I hope you're done now. Anna's going to be angry at you for flipping her stone up like that."

"No she's not." Balthazar said, finally stopping his attempt to impale Gabriel.

"No, I'm not." Anna put in, her smile growing.


	4. Chapter 4

**I LOVE ALL OF YOU! This has almost 40 Kudos on AO3, which I'm super excited about~ Continuing at this trend, this *might* end up my most popular fic so far, which is obviously good for me since I'm going to start writing my original novel this summer, and the fact that so many people are reading is a refreshing ego boost ;-)**

**Please leave a nice comment, leave a kudos, drop me an ask about it on tumblr. Anything you would like to. I am totally open to all of those things.**

* * *

The walk to the beach was short. Castiel felt like it took forever; everyone who so much as glanced their way erupted into a fit of giggles, or confused staring, or even flat-out gaping at Dean. Cas didn't know how he took all the staring; he felt like he wanted to curl up in a ball and die, just from being close to Dean.

Then again, that wouldn't go on for much longer. Soon they would send out a notice through the "phone" and word of mouth would have everyone knowing that Dean Winchester was, in fact, human, and he was sticking around for a few days. Of course, heaven forbid, people might actually see that as an invitation to come up and try to talk to them. Oh, the horror.

Gabriel and Balthazar were talking in hushed tones the entire way, whispering back and forth and giggling. Cas knew that he shouldn't feel that way, but it somehow felt like he'd been left out of some big joke.

Of course, they'd tried to get Cas to hit on women, but he just couldn't. Or men, for that matter. Nobody ever seemed appealing for just a quick romp in the sheets; Cas didn't see the appeal of fucking and leaving, and more importantly, he didn't see the appeal in a body that he wasn't emotionally attached to.

After what felt like forever, they finally arrived. Over the large tree stump sticking out of the ground, (it had hand holes carved into it so that one could hoist themselves up and over), and then it was in sight.

The sun shone onto the water, making it a hazy blue-green in the light of eleven o'clock. A little bit of fog still stuck around in the area, and Cas could see people splashing around in the pond, feathers getting soaked. He felt a small pang of longing for the feeling of water soaking him down, but he knew that if he were to go and get wet, he would surely get hit on.

"You'd all better be careful." He warned Gabriel and Balthazar. "The last time we were here one of you almost drowned. I'd like that not to get repeated again." He said, matter-of-factly. Gabriel's face morphed into a pout.

"But Cassie, that girl almost gave me mouth to mouth!" He whined. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Yes, and Balthazar ended up doing it in her place once we found out there was _actually_ water in your lungs." He reminded him, feeling just the slightest bit of amusement creep up. Gabriel and Balthazar, no matter how much trouble they got into, were two of his favorite people. Some of the others here just felt like they were dead.

When Cas was with the other warriors, it was all business. Nobody made jokes, nobody acted kindly. They were expected to be emotionless brick slates who would do as commanded. That was, technically, what they needed to be to protect their kind. Castiel knew that he would be doing right to model himself after those men.

There seemed like there was always a spark of emotion, though, one that he couldn't really control. Very small, buried deep inside of him, but there nonetheless. He had a firm lock on it, but it tended to act up at times like these.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Dean asked, turning to Castiel. Cas's eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean by that? Are you not going to partake in their planned activities?" Castiel questioned, gesturing towards where Gabe and Balthazar had gone to change. He could just see the tips of their heads over the bundle of grass concealing them from the other beach-goers.

"I don't have a swimsuit." Dean announced, clapping his hands together. Castiel paused, before realizing what that meant.

"Oh. I forget sometimes that humans have more..._ regulations_ than we do. You're allowed to swim in the nude here, so long as you aren't bothering anyone. We don't teach people that nudity is inherently sexual, just that it can be in the right situation. And this is, after all, an adult place. There are _other_ beaches fae take their children to."

"Whoa. So like, all of you guys see a naked chick and don't get...?" Dean trailed off, questioningly.

"Well, most of us still experience sexual attraction, we're just taught to control ourselves in public. But we do still have pornography and things of that nature. We're just a little more civilized." Castiel explained. Dean nodded his head, thinking a little.

"You know, that actually makes sense to me. I mean, I'm still not too keen on the whole, "jumping-in-with-my-dick-hanging-out" thing, but I can see how that could work for you." He said, nodding his head a little. Anna had gone by now, leaving the two of them alone.

"Actually, there are a lot of differences between our two species, not just in mating but in culture and custom. For example, aren't your people's women usually not a part of the working force?" Castiel questioned. Dean made a face.

"Dude, no. That ended a long time ago; women are allowed to do what they want now. I mean, it's still frowned upon in some places, but I'm pretty sure a lot of us are getting over that, at least where I come from. How long has it been since you've had contact with humans, aside from Jo?"

"Our people have been isolated from yours, aside, of course, from people like Jo, ever since they started burning us for "practicing magick"." He mumbled. "I know a great deal of human culture from then, but we know that much has evolved in the last few years. My parents had to deal with a lot from humans that I won't." Cas clarified.

"What do you mean? There's no way your parents were alive a hundred years ago." Dean said, eyebrows knitting together. "You know, actually, when we were burning witches, it would have been even further back than that."

Castiel felt the side of his mouth begin to perk up in the ghost of a smile, and he shook his head. Humans had lost touch with nature and alchemy, rebounding only to religion and science in the past little while. Not that those were necessarily bad things, but the problem was that through this, they had lost the ability to see anything that didn't already fit into their life perspective as irrational.

"Our lives easily span two hundred and fifty years. I'm a hundred and fifty." He said. Dean's mouth dropped open in shock. "And my parents had me very late."

"You-you're." He simply said, blinking hard. His mouth seemed unable to close, and he found Dean's inability to comprehend it all just a little bit endearing. "You're five times older than me."

Castiel did the math in his head. So Dean was... thirty years old? Was that pretty old for a human? Thinking back, he remembered their lifespans being at least to age forty or so... So, he supposed it must be. He felt his stomach sink a little. They had gotten a hold of an old human.

Then again, Jo had said she was pretty young when originally questioned on how long she could supply them, and this human looked like he couldn't be much older than she was.

"Yes. Some may say I'm ancient." He said. Dean was still frozen.

"Why is that? I mean, why are your guys's life spans so much longer than ours?" He asked, frowning a little bit. Castiel paused, thinking.

"Nobody is really sure. We were trying to run tests when they started burning down our cities. The most common theory we have is that being smaller is easier on our bodies. We age much slower." Castiel said, placing a hand on his chin. Actually, talking to Dean... wasn't as bad as he would have expected.

"Well, that's cool. I bet you guys get a lot done in your lives." He said, sounding a little wistful. "I wouldn't want to live that long though, honestly."

"Why not?" Castiel asked. "And some of us do."

"Well, honestly, I would feel tired. After all that time and doing all that studying and living and being around other people, I would get sick of it all. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my life. I have a little brother who's amazing, friends who are awesome, lots of stuff to look forward to. But two hundred and fifty _years_? I wouldn't be able to do it."

"I can see your point. A lot of us have a very strong sense of purpose." Castiel said wistfully, watching Gabriel and Balthazar splashing each other.

"And you?" Dean asked, looking over at him from the side. "What's your purpose? If you don't mind me asking."

"Me?" Castiel questioned. He thought. Really, there was only one answer. "To serve my people. Keep them safe and keep the fae at peace."

"Yeah, but... What about you? What about them?" Dean asked, staring out at the pond.

"What do you mean?" Cas asked.

"You love them, don't you? You can't live your whole life trying to keep everyone else safe and trying to please everyone else. As much as I agree that that's a noble cause or whatever," Dean said, making a dismissive gesture with his hand, "Does that really make you happy? Because you didn't seem all that smiley about going and seeing Uriel. Your job should make you as happy as they do."

Castiel paused, looking over at Dean. "There are lots of things that you don't understand, but thank you for the advice. I'll... I'll try to keep that in mind."

And for once, Castiel wasn't lying. The things Dean said were things that he needed to consider. He assured himself yet again that his job made him happy, assured himself again that serving his people was his only and ultimate cause, but a very small part of him felt just a little bit less upset by the fact that he was enjoying this.

* * *

Once Dean started talking to him, he quickly realized that the guy wasn't all just weirdly-attractive pissy robot. In fact, it seemed like he had a decent sense of humor, and made for good conversation.

As they talked, Dean noticed little quirks. The way he tried to cover up any emotion he had with this blank, robot-face facade. The way he always smiled just a little bit when Gabriel or Balthazar or Anna talked. How, even if he pretended that Dean was a nuisance and should rightfully be somewhere else, not bothering him, he was clearly fascinated by human culture in general.

Dean wasn't lying when he said that he thought Cas should do what made him happy. Cas, no matter how much he wanted to act like a fucking stick in the mud, was actually a big sap. He could see right through it. He really wasn't cut out for the kind of life he was living.

"So, what made you want to go into this field of work? I mean, people don't usually just grow up saying that they want to join the military. What made you interested?"

"Well, it's not really our formal military." Castiel corrected, looking wary. Dean was afraid that he might stop talking if not prompted, and he kept eye contact whenever he could to try and show Cas that he was both paying attention and trustworthy.

"Then what is it?"

"Well, like I said, it's a... Well, we're warriors. It's less organized than the military. We aren't anticipating any fights any time soon, as we're a mostly peaceful people. Fae in general are evolved far beyond humans, to form what we believe to be the perfect society." Castiel said, nodding a little bit. This sounded practiced, rehearsed. As if somebody else's words were in his mouth, and Dean didn't like it.

"Well, there's no way you guys have accomplished that." Dean said, smiling a little bit. "After all, I've not even seen one pie in the time I've been here. If this place were perfect, the whole air would smell like pecan pie." He teased. He was rewarded when a small smile crept onto Castiel's face.

"You have an odd definition of perfection." Castiel mumbled. Then, he paused. "Pie is a human dish, correct? I've heard of it, but I've never tried it myself. The Fae's diet is made mostly of fresh vegetables and meats. We don't have decadence all too often."

"You know, there's another problem with this place. No pie? Dude, I would probably die. This is the worst place _ever_ to get kidnapped." Dean's eyes flickered over to the giggling and splashing fae in the water, large drops of dew gathering on their feathers to create tiny rainbows everywhere. Okay, so maybe that was a gross over-exaggeration. It was, in fact, kind of beautiful here.

"This is the worst place _ever_ to get stuck with a human to babysit." Castiel retorted, and Dean had to snort at that one.

"Ah, so you do agree that it's not perfect," He pointed out. He thought for a moment, debating whether or not it would be okay for him to dig a little deeper. He decided fuck it, and added, "Is there anything else about this place that bothers you?"

Castiel hesitated. Dean could see that he was holding himself back from saying something, wary about whether or not to share something like that with a human that he had just met. After what seemed like forever of Dean hoping and wishing he would be trusted enough to be let into the secret, Castiel opened his mouth as if to speak.

And that was when Gabriel trotted up, soaking wet.

Castiel turned, eyes narrowing at his friend. Soon, Dean found out why Cas had looked suspicious, as Gabriel turned his head upside down and shook it vigorously, causing tiny water droplets to fly off and land onto the two of them. Dean's hands came up to shield his eyes as Cas remained still as a statue, attempting to have no reaction to the assault.

"You're absolutely despicable." He finally said, flatly. Gabriel laughed out loud, his grin stretching from ear to ear. After only a moment of reveling in his annoyance, he turned to Dean.

"So, buck-o, are you getting into the pond? Balthazar and I think that having a human would be the equivalent of having a baby on your hip when it comes to picking up women." Gabriel said. Dean paused, coming up with an excuse so he could keep talking to Cas.

"Y'know, I actually don't have a swimsuit. Sorry but you two are gonna have to go and bother girls out of your league on your own." He said firmly. Gabriel paused before hitting himself in the center of the forehead. However, he looked far less deterred than what Dean had hoped for.

"I forgot to tell you! I actually grabbed one of Cas's pair of swim clothes from my house. You two look like you would be around the same size, so you should be able to join us, as long as Cas doesn't mind you using them." Gabriel said, swinging to look at Cas with puppy dog eyes. Castiel paused, and Dean tried to shoot him a look that said, 'please-help-me-have-an-excuse', but to no avail.

"That wouldn't bother me at all. Dean, please go ahead. After all, you should be immersing yourself in the culture if you have any hope of going home anytime soon." Castiel said. Dean groaned internally, but he put on a smile for the sake of things.

"Alright." He relented. Suddenly, Gabriel was pulling him over and pushing him behind a plant, talking animatedly about how many girls were going to be interested in them being there and how awesome it was that Dean was going to join them. Dean ended up having to physically push him out from behind the grass so that he could change in a little bit of privacy, and he shook his head as he assessed the bathing suit.

It was green and made of a soft material. It was stiff, but that was to be expected, as it was pretty much just a skirt. If he swam too hard, he might end up with... er, awkward areas, exposed. Well, at least he wasn't going to be around anyone that could call him out back home.

Because, as much as Dean Winchester, the voice of logic and reason at most times of the day, hated to admit it, he had started to really believe it was happening. It was crazy and it was stupid and it made his head spin a little bit, but it was _real_. This had gone on too long to be an acid trip, (not to mention that it was significantly not that crazy, believe him) too much of it felt too damn _true._

And, everyone was wearing too much clothing for this to be a typical dream.

If anything in the world was truly real at all, (because Dean's not going to lie, psychology class in high school fucked him up when a kid suggested that the entire world could be just the diseased ramblings of your own twisted mind building something around you in a desperate attempt to stop it's downward spiral into insanity) this was.

Soon, his own clothes lay in a haphazard pile on a stone, and he walked out from behind the bush. Gabriel took a moment to sarcastically whistle, earning him an irritated glare, (mainly irritated because Dean knew that it was something he would have done himself) before he was pulling Dean away.

The water was fucking cold. That was Dean's very first thought, and the only one that really stuck out later when he reassessed the memory. But, also important to note, was that there were leaves lining the bottom and the water was fairly devoid of dirt for a literal giant puddle. All in all, once his body started to adjust, it was a pretty pleasant place to be.

The leaves at the bottom felt a little bit like seaweed, but in a less alarming way. Dean couldn't help but feel a little bit peaceful as the water came up around his waist.

That is, he felt peaceful until Gabriel sprinted forward and did a canon ball right into the center of the pool.

Dean shook off the excess water, laughing a little bit as he did. As soon as Gabriel came back up Balthazar was upon him, shoving him back down into the water, hands pushing down on his head every time he tried to come back up again.

"You bloody imbecile, you ruined my dry hair." He said calmly, as if Gabriel was nothing more than a nuisance. He still worked to push him down. Dean was pretty darn sure that Gabriel was being over dramatic and he could stop Balthazar any time, but this was just the way that they functioned. Ninety percent of the time, they were pretty much doing improv scenes between themselves.

Dean could relate to having a friend like that. He and Sam used to tease each other all the time before he moved out. He would pull Sam's head underneath his arm and give him a noogie, or Sam would throw a pillow at his head.

Suddenly, a small wave of loneliness crashed over him. It was bittersweet; the happy memories kept coming, but with them the knowledge that, under it all, Dean was lonely. Sam had been gone for far too long and he was by himself in an apartment that was too big for just one person. It seemed like, on the bad nights, his voice echoed off the walls and his steps were the only to have ever walked the halls.

"You need to control your anger issues." Gabriel teased once Balthazar had gotten sick of repeatedly pushing his head under the water. "Maybe you need a hug and a big bottle of whiskey. You're a fun drunk."

"You're just saying that because last time I drank, I hit on you for two hours straight because I thought you were a pretty lady." Balthazar said suggestively. Gabriel raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't think I was a pretty lady. You just like me and you're afraid to admit it. It's okay Balthazar, you can feel free to let your true feelings show. Nobody is going to judge you for it." Gabriel said, as if he was straight-up quoting a lifetime movie. Balthazar gave a sigh and looped his arms around Gabriel's shoulders, pulling him closer.

"What can I say, honey, you just see right through me." He said, leaning forward to rub noses with the shorter man. Gabriel eagerly returned it.

"So wait," Dean said, trying to get a feeling for what exactly was going on. "Are you two really...?"

"Oh, god no." Balthazar said, leaving his hands casually around Gabriel's neck. Gabriel smiled a bit, as if they had gotten that a lot. "We're just incredibly comfortable around each other. Gabriel is like the stepbrother my parents never quite fancied as well as me. He's just darling."

"But that is socially acceptable in your... in your guy's "culture" or whatever?" Dean questioned. Balthazar and Gabriel shared a look.

"Yes, yes it is. In fact, we have our suspicions about dear old Cassie over there." Balthazar informed him. Dean glanced back to Castiel, who was staring off to the side, something clearly going through his mind. Dean felt a little bad that he was all alone there, with nothing to do.

"I don't know, I don't really get that vibe from him. Maybe something other than straight, but not gay or bi either. And, uh, that's what I am. Bi." Dean admitted, giving a small shrug. No matter how accepted it was, he still felt a little nervous when he came out to people. He'd gotten some bad reactions in the past.

His least favorite ones, of course, were the people who immediately stuck a label onto his head. They assumed he was effeminate or that he was hitting on every guy he so much as glanced at. A girl once asked him to go shopping with her, and he had barely even _spoken_ to her beforehand.

And yeah, Dean liked some generally "effeminate" things. He jammed to Taylor Swift every once in awhile and he would admit (though not out loud) to liking the feeling of satin panties around his hips. But that didn't mean he was immediately a flaming stereotype.

"That's cool. What else is there, though?" Gabriel questioned, tilting his head to the side. Dean paused.

"Well, like, I don't know the names but I know there's other stuff. Like I have a friend who's pan." Dean said, his mind drifting to Benny. "I really only make a point to memorize them if I know someone who's like that. But I do know other stuff exists." He mumbled. He could always look up definitions on the internet, anyways. Well, I mean, _usually_ he could.

"What's pan?" Gabriel asked, and then quickly added, "And just to clarify, it has nothing to do with kitchen utensils, correct?"

"It means you have "equal attraction to all genders"." Dean said, remembering Benny using those same exact words when explaining everything to him. "Or something like that."

"Oh. That sounds cool. So what's the difference between that and being bi?" Gabriel asked, again. Balthazar decided to butt in.

"Our society may be advanced in what it accepts, but unfortunately it does have the flaw of being fairly isolated. We can't really be certain of what all is out there because we have no way of getting in contact with a broader range of people. Humans can come up with this stuff through a luxury we don't have. It probably sucks to not know what you are because you feel like you're the only one." He mumbled.

Dean didn't miss the way his eyes flickered to Cas. Okay, so Cas most definitely was not straight, and he'd told Balthazar _something_ about it. That made Dean's stomach do a weird little dance. Maybe they hadn't realized before that Cas was officially "queer" because he was under the impression that whatever he was wasn't "normal"?

He would have to be delicate about bringing it up, but Dean would make sure before he left that he found out what exactly was going on over there.

It wasn't long until lounging in the pond became breaking for lunch. Cas flew back to his house and made everyone sandwiches, (cucumber and some weird spread that Dean had never heard of, but tasted okay) grabbing himself one of those old, leather-bound books to read.

Lunch went well. Anna came over with a couple more friends, one named Gilda, who Dean immediately fell in love with, and one who Dean couldn't honestly remember. Gabriel and Balthazar halfheartedly hit on them, but they didn't really seem like they were all that into it.

In fact, from what Dean saw, this trip was more about swimming and less about picking up babes.

At the end of their day out, (around seven o'clock, from what Dean could tell), they were all exhausted. They had built "sand" castles out of dirt, made a small shack out of leaves, and swam themselves to death. Everyone was ready to go home and hit the hay, and Dean was no exception.

Cas, however, had spent the entire day reading. Dean had managed to sneak a glance at the book clutched tightly in his hands, and he discovered that it was some kind of "Warrior's Code" manual or something like that. He made a face when he saw it.

Their feet dragged on the walk back. The sun, though still having a couple more hours to shine, was painting the sky a nice, light orange to pink colour.

It was then that Dean realized that he was ravenous.

"Do you have any of those sandwiches left, Cas?" He complained, walking ahead and tapping Cas's shoulder. Castiel checked into the bag that he had brought before he shook his head no. Dean let out a loud groan, almost measured by the rumble his stomach gave off. "I'm starving, dude."

"If you would like to stay with Gabriel and eat him out of house and home, he's the closest. If you intend to stay with me, you'll have to wait another twenty-five minutes while we walk home." Cas informed him, voice steady and giving away no indication of which he would prefer.

Dean thought. If he didn't go home with Cas tonight, Cas would probably spend the entire time reading that stupid work book. He didn't know how Cas could deal with such dry material; it couldn't possibly be good for him.

And that just about decided it, didn't it? Because Cas needed somebody to save him from his taste in books, if only for the night..

"No, man, you're the best cook I know. I want to stay with you. It's just that I haven't had this much aerobic exercise since the coach made us run two miles in high school." He teased. Castiel looked a little confused.

"You have well-developed muscles. Are you implying that you don't train?" He questioned. Dean felt a little bit of heat rise to his cheeks. Glancing back, he saw that the other three were too tired to really be paying attention to the conversation, and he was grateful for both of their sakes nobody had heard.

"Well, my job requires me to do a lot of lifting. I'm a mechanic. But that's a whole 'nother world from swimming for seven hours straight." Dean informed him, stretching.

"You didn't swim for seven hours straight, you took periodic breaks. Maybe you need to get into better shape." Castiel shot back, all in good jest. Dean placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be offended.

"How dare you. I bet I could take you." He challenged, putting up his fists. Castiel looked at him like he was stupid.

"I know for a fact that you can't, but we'll save proving it for another time. That is, if you want to get home and eat any time soon." He said. Then, unexpectedly, "Goodnight, Gabriel."

Dean turned to see Gabriel walking off the path, towards his own home. He mumbled something unintelligible as he moved towards the door like a zombie in search of brains.

Dean's stomach gave another growl, making up his mind for him. "Yeah, another time."

* * *

When they got home, Castiel briefly picking Dean up bridal style and Dean shutting his eyes tightly as they rose into the air, Dean immediately collapsed onto the couch.

"Do you still want food, or are you too tired?" Castiel questioned. To Dean's utter relief, as he said this, he slipped the book back onto it's shelf.

Dean's stomach gave a powerful growl, and he knew that if he didn't eat now he would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to find shit to eat in Cas's kitchen. God, did he hate the idea of that happening.

"I think I need to eat something or else I'm gonna pass out. Will you be angry if I fall over and accidentally knock your coffee table down?" He questioned, looking at it. He could practically hear Cas rolling his eyes in the background.

"I highly doubt you're that affected by being tired. You need to stay sitting down, though." Castiel warned. Dean wondered what would happen if he were to stand up right now, specifically to defy Cas. Probably nothing good.

In about fifteen minutes, he had a steaming hot plate of _something_ sitting in his lap. He didn't even bother with the "this might be poisoned" this time, just digging in. Which, was probably stupid, but he had begun to trust Cas. Even if he had only known him for a day.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Dean asked, deciding that he was a little too worked up about this whole thing in general to sleep right that second. Learning about them and their culture was actually sort of... well, exciting. And, okay, wow, that sounded nerdy as fuck.

"Well, nothing as rigorous as today." Castiel said. Dean wasn't quite certain as to whether or not it was a joke. "We're going to take you around to see a couple of popular odd jobs. Lots of fae are craftspeople, since we don't function off of machine-made products like your kind tends to." Cas stated.

"That sounds cool. You mean like, painters and stuff?" Dean clarified. Castiel paused.

"Well, sort of. There are a great deal more jobs than just paining." He informed Dean. Dean paused, starting to feel the first dregs of sleep begin to wrap around him and take hold. He wanted to fight it, if only to stay up and keep talking to Cas, but the food sat heavy in his stomach and it was a nice, warm night.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta hit the hay before I start hallucinating, man." Dean said, simply letting his body fall over onto the couch. "I mean, my hallucinations would probably be less crazy than reality right now, but that doesn't mean letting them happen is a _good_ idea."

"I understand. Do you need something to cover up with, or...?" Castiel questioned. Dean shook his head no. He was in the same clothes as he had been in before this whole thing, and he had no problems sleeping in his jeans if he needed to.

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean said fondly, snuggling into the couch's throw pillow. He didn't even bother to take off his shoes, and his hair was still a little wet, but he could probably fall asleep on a rock right about then.

"Goodnight, Dean." Cas said.

And if he wasn't mistaken, Dean thought that there was a hint of fondness in that, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5! I'm going to have chapter 20 finished by the release of chapter 6; once 20 is officially done and the fic is finished, the update schedule will be updated for all of the chapters :-) Have fun reading!**

* * *

The next day, Dean's entire body felt stiff and sore to the touch. The sunlight filtered in through the doorway, (recently opened by Castiel, who was already up and bustling around) laying across his body in small patches of warmth. He honestly considered just pretending to still be asleep.

Castiel started into the kitchen and ten minutes later, that thought was abandoned. His stomach gave a deep growl as the smell of breakfast wafted through the house. Who would have thought that burning twice your daily calories in a pool would make you so ravenous the next morning?

Actually, a lot of people probably would have thought that.

But Dean was really fucking sore and still a little tired, so his common sense was allowed a little bit of skew.

He slowly walked into the kitchen, refusing to flinch despite his sore muscles. He inhaled deeply, seeing that sizzling over a fire were the same green things Cas had cooked yesterday morning. However, these ones looked just a little bit different.

"What are those, anyways?" Dean asked, having a feeling that he might just regret asking that question. Castiel slammed a cabinet door, (or at least, it looked like a cabinet door, but made out of bark) coming back over to the sizzling pan and sprinkling on a little bit of spice.

"It's insect larve." Castiel said, flatly. Dean definitely regretted asking. Even so, Cas continued, "These in specific are butterfly eggs. Different subspecies taste differently and butterfly eggs are readily available, so it's what we eat most the time. We try to stay away from endangered species such as the monarch, the-"

"Dude, please stop talking. Like, now." Dean said, sitting down in the chair. "If I have any hopes of getting them down, I need to forget that I'm eating a six year old girl's dreams."

Castiel paused, a look of confusion crossing his features. He looked contemplative for a moment, as if debating whether or not to ask what Dean meant. In the end, he went back to working, still looking confused as ever, but silent.

Soon, there was a plate in front of Dean. This tasted sweeter than yesterday's breakfast; it was utterly satisfying, even knowing that (if not in his stomach) it would have sprouted wings. Castiel had proved himself in Dean's short time here to be a very good cook, and Dean was taking full advantage of that.

"You know, we should bake a pie tomorrow." He insisted. Castiel paused, looking confused.

"Tomorrow? How would we get the human ingredients on such short notice? We usually talk to Jo about these sort of things." He asked, looking around in the kitchen. Dean had, of course, already thought of that. Because he was serious about his pie, and he was intent on allowing Castiel the full pastry experience.

"If you'd be willing to fly to Ellen's kitchen with me, I know where everything is and I have a key to the house in my bag. It would actually be a good idea to grab some of my other clothes too, if you could have Anna get on that?" Dean asked, gesturing towards his lack of wardrobe. Castiel nodded a little, looking thoughtful.

"For today, you can borrow some of my clothes. Do you sunburn easy?"

Dean paused. So, whatever they were going to do today involved the sun?

"I can get a little red on my ears if I don't put on sunscreen. It turns to tan eventually but other than that, no. If we're gonna be out more than a couple of hours it might get a little inconvenient for tomorrow, though." Dean said. Cas nodded his head.

"Okay, then I'll give you my long sleeved cover." He mumbled, walking out of the room. Dean was almost tempted to follow him, but the rest of his breakfast was calling out his name. _Dean,_ it said, _You're eating little baby winged creatures. Don't you feel bad? Don't you want to compensate for your bad feeling by eating more? It's a vicious cycle, Dean._

Dean ignored what the food was saying and finished his bowl.

Soon, Castiel came pattering back into the room, a long fabric stretched over his arms. It looked light and Dean discovered that it was soft to the touch. "So, how do I put this on?" He questioned.

Castiel slowly drew his arms around himself, lifting above his head as he did so to get it all straightened out. He proceeded to lower it back down and clip the two parts of the jacket together to create something that looked almost like a-

"You're going to give me a _cape_ to wear?" Dean questioned, trying to shove down the excitement that rose like a tidal wave. Okay, so it was a little immature, but he _really_ loved capes.

"I was told it was a shawl." Castiel said, eyebrows coming together in confusion. Dean rolled his eyes and held out his hands, making a small gesture.

"Just give me the cape, Grandma." Dean teased. Castiel must have stopped trying to understand at that point, because just a few seconds later the cape was firmly in Dean's arms.

"You won't need a shirt for this, but if it makes you uncomfortable you can borrow one of mine." Cas mentioned, nodding towards the bathroom. Dean nodded back.

"I'll be fine. You guys aren't very modest and I don't have any issues with my body." Dean said, almost absentmindedly. Cas nodded.

Ten minutes later, they were both dressed in a new set of clothes. Dean found the soft fabric to be a little bit restrictive, but also just the right about of stretchy to make it okay. From what he had seen so far, all the fae's clothes were made out of this same stuff.

He'd like to bring some velvet back here sometime. He guessed that Cas had never really experienced man made textures like that, and it sounded like fun to see what his reaction would be.

"So, what are we gonna do today?" He asked, walking out of the bathroom. Cas was in the same clothes as him, but minus the cape, and a mark stood stark against the tan skin of his shoulder. It looked almost like text, but in another language, the lines harsher and more beautiful than anything Dean had seen previously. He had noticed this mark before, but it just occurred to him that he hadn't questioned it's meaning.

"We're going to show you culture. You'll find out what specifically when we get there." Cas said, smiling a little.

"Hey, can I ask what that is?" Dean questioned, pointing towards the tattoo. Castiel paused, looking down at his arm as if he had forgotten it was there.

"It's a tattoo. Judging by David's Star across your chest, you humans _do_ still practice the art." Castiel said, confused. Dean took a minute to debate whether or not he was actually serious.

Suddenly, with the sound of flapping feathers, Anna was at the door with a smile on her face. "Guys, come out here! The rest of us have been waiting on you two."

Castiel nodded and wasted no time in striding forward and scooping Dean up.

_I will never really get used to this,_ Dean thought as Cas approached the door. Of course, as he was still afraid of heights, his next thoughts were composed entirely of, _ShitShitShitShit please god in heaven do not let me fall_.

As they landed on the ground, Balthazar and Gabriel immediately attacked. An arm was slung around Dean's shoulder before he was even entirely on his feet, and another around his waist once he was. Gabriel loudly announced, "Today is gonna be super duper boring, I hope you're ready for that."

"Our customs and culture is not "boring", and especially to a human who hasn't lived here his whole life. You two have just gotten used to it." Castiel reminded them, his arms crossing over his chest as they started walking.

Soon, Dean found that the grass was taller and the path was more narrow where they were. Long reeds began to shoot out of the rich brown earth and the air smelled of foliage. Several large rocks were on either side of Dean, and the sound of running water gave the place a sense of ultimate peace.

Or, at least it _would_ have been peaceful, if he wasn't traveling with Balthazar and Gabriel.

Soon, the grass broke and they stood in front of a small stream. Fae women and men alike sat in it's flow and their hands moved underneath the water, doing small repetitive motions. Most of them looked very peaceful and content.

"Today," Castiel said, his voice startling Dean from where he had been intensely taking everything in. "We're going to teach you basket weaving."

* * *

Castiel lowered his lower body into the water, next to a small fae he knew to be named Annabelle. She smiled at him and fluttered her wings a bit as he sat down, and he gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

Dean stood across from him, arms full of thin blades of grass that they would use to make their baskets. Cas gestured for him to sit down and he did, almost dropping the material all over the place while he tried to keep balance without the use of his hands. Usually Cas would find such an unskilled move to be unremarkable, but for some reason, it made his lip quirk upwards.

"Okay, now you start by tying a knot here..."

Soon, they were both off to a good start. Castiel was in his seventh heaven here; this work was relaxing, repetitive, pretty much the only thing he enjoyed doing that didn't involve taking orders from Michael, the leader of their clan's warriors. It was nice to be able to just... not think, for awhile.

"So, do you have any family?" Dean's voice cut through the birdsong, and Castiel's fingers stopped working for a moment. He hadn't been expecting to make conversation, but now he saw that he should have predicted this. He actually enjoyed talking to Dean at the pond yesterday, so he figured that having a conversation now couldn't hurt anything.

In fact, he may even like it.

"My parents died when I was fifty. I have no brothers or sisters, but I consider Balthazar and Gabriel and Anna to be my family." Castiel mumbled. A quiet "oh" came out of Dean's mouth, and after a few moments of silence, Cas assumed it to be the end of the conversation.

However, it appeared that he was wrong.

"My mom died when I was four and my dad had liver failure a few years ago. I've already mentioned my little brother, and I consider my boss to be like a second dad. Ellen and Jo are family, too, but Ash died in a big fire a few months after dad." Dean said, quietly. Castiel looked up from his work, trying to read Dean's blank face.

"That sounds like it was hard for you." He ventured. Dean laughed a little.

"Life happens, you move on. The important thing is that you still have some of the people you love, even if a couple of them are gone." He said, smiling. Castiel felt himself smiling, too. Contrary to the tone of the conversation, he found himself to be enjoying this. Dean was fascinating.

"I had never really thought of it that way. Tell me, Dean, why do you believe the way you do?"

"Really, I guess it's because I have to. I mean, I'm not going to lie, but I have a terrible track record for being a good person. But even if I'm not strong or brave or smart, the people I love have been there anyways. They've kept me going." Dean said.

Castiel could tell by the tone of his voice that he really believed that. It made the smile on his face fade just a little bit. Dean was a brave and gentle human, compared to what Cas had heard and seen of his kind. In fact, Cas would venture to say that he was better to talk to than most fae.

"Do you really think so poorly of yourself?" He questioned. Dean looked up, and his eyes were filled with honesty.

"Yeah, yeah I do. I mean, I'm an okay person, but I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and I'm not going to kid myself into thinking that I'm some hero just because I saved a few people along the way."

"I haven't known you very long, Dean, but I do know you're better than what you believe yourself to be. You shouldn't beat yourself up over your past mistakes. I know it's hard. I've made mistakes in the past. But you have to forgive yourself and move on." Castiel said, sincerely.

Dean mumbled a little and looked away. It was clear that Cas wasn't going to get anything else out of him on the topic, but he didn't want this conversation to end.

A warm sort of glow was beginning to form when Dean and he spoke. He found himself beginning to admit to himself that he was _fond_ of the human.

Dean's reply pulled him out of his thoughts. "Yeah, okay."

"So, is your brother studying to be anything in specific?" Castiel asked, hoping to change the subject and get Dean talking. Immediately, Dean lit up.

"Yeah, he's going to be a lawyer. I'm really really proud of him and the work that he's gonna do. He wants to help people out in civil rights and shit." Dean boasted, smiling broadly. Castiel felt himself smiling as well, yet again. It seemed like the smile was permanently cemented onto his face when Dean spoke.

"That sounds amazing. In our society, we don't really have lawyers. We know the concept, but our five council leaders usually talk about things and then Uriel makes the final decision. Fae represent themselves in cases. Not a lot happens around here, though." Castiel admitted.

"I don't know if I would want to live in a place like that." Dean said, uncertainly. "Uriel is really fucking full of himself. I would be worried about him coming down on the people and making stupid laws. I prefer good old fashioned democracy."

"Democracy started out in Athens, Greece, and your twisted spin off that America has since adapted isn't something I would want to live under either." Castiel said, his wings fluffing up a bit. He was known for his loyalty to the fae and their ways, and he wasn't about to abandon that now. "There is far too much room for corruption. The people give their voice collectively to one group of people."

Castiel hoped that the things he learned in studying human culture were right when it came to this. They had separated from the humans around the time their democracy had begun to form, so nobody could be entirely certain as to whether or not that system was still in play.

"Well, I had never thought of it that way. Thanks, now I'll never be able to think of my country the same way again." Dean said, partially teasing. Seriously though, it had just occurred to him how fucked up it all sounded from an outside perspective. "But at least we try for justice. Things are getting better for lots of people and they'll keep getting better as long as people try.

"This Uriel guy, though, he has the power to stop everything now. He could snap his fingers and everything could turn against you guys. You could have a curfew and lots of shit that you loved to do could be illegal for no reason."

"I acknowledge your point and I agree it's an alarming one." Cas said, frowning. Suddenly, he felt a little less loyal. "But Uriel knows that the people could overthrow him if he did anything too unsavory." Not that it's ever happened, no matter how unsavory rulers have been.

"Alright, I'll let it go for now." Dean said, shrugging. Then, he added, "So, back to the original topic, what would you want to be if you weren't a warrior or whatever? Have you ever thought of it?"

That gave Castiel pause. Nobody had ever asked him that before; ever since he was born, he was raised to believe that he would be a good warrior, that the clan could use him and his skill, and that it was the best option for him. He'd never really thought of doing anything else.

Really, when he thought of all the things that the people in the clan actually did, he only came up with one he would be able to stick to.

"I think I would like to write books. There are a couple of fae who have done that and they seem to be generally appreciated. They don't make a great deal of money, though, so I would probably have to take up some other hobbies to make enough to live off of." Castiel mumbled.

"Really? That sounds pretty awesome, dude. What kind of books do you like?"

"Usually things about nature, and books that are informative. I love a good story every once in awhile, though. I think that's what I would do if I were to write." Castiel said. Suddenly, it seemed like a much more appealing option than being a warrior.

He shook his head. This was a dangerous thought path to be walking down. He had done one thing for his entire life, and fully intended to keep doing so. He didn't want the stress and endless string of questions about his choice if he were to change that now. No, he immediately chased the thought from his mind. He wouldn't let his stupid fantasies ruin what he already had.

But as soon as he glanced up and found Dean's eyes, full of happiness and interest, the thought crept up again. In a more subtle way, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get it to leave.

"I don't read much, honestly, but if it was something you had written? I might. You seem like an interesting guy, Castiel." Dean said, smile reaching his eyes.

Castiel was stricken with how beautiful the moment was. The sunlight was filtering down through the trees, hitting Dean's skin and the ground in small little blotches. Dean's eyes were happy and bright green, and he was looking at Castiel like he was the most interesting person in the world. In the background, Cas could hear Balthazar and Gabriel laughing and teasing each other on the other end of the creek.

He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

A hand laid gently on his shoulder before he got the chance to respond. He turned to look back, feeling annoyance start to rise within him.

"Are we going to go soon? Balthazar and Gabriel are tying each other up with their grass." Anna announced. Castiel gave a soft growl.

Glancing down at his basket, he could see that he was only a couple of rows away from a good stopping place. Looking at Dean's, he could see that it was the same story. Since that would have been his only excuse to stay here, he knew that he was trapped.

He gave a heavy sigh. "We'll finish up here and meet you all at the entrance in a few minutes. I believe Dean had something planned for the rest of the day." Castiel said, looking at Dean for backup. Dean nodded his head.

"Yeah, I was planning on going back to my room and getting pie ingredients and some of my clothes. Would putting some of that stuff onto them shrink them down to my size?" Dean questioned.

"Yes, I believe that it would." Anna said, speaking slowly. "Our concoctions can grow a military-grade shatterproof plant and originally altered our people's DNA to include wings. I'm fairly certain that your clothes won't be an issue."

Dean paused, blinking. "Uh, okay?"

Anna rolled her eyes and walked away, and Cas gave a chuckle.

"She takes anyone asking if anything can be done as an insult to our people. It's not your fault." He informed Dean, hoping that Dean wouldn't blame himself for Anna's quirks. Dean seemed to cheer up a little after that, letting the encounter and Anna's sarcasm roll off of his shoulders.

"Well, we'd better get to a stopping place, huh?" Dean said, gesturing towards his basket. Castiel nodded, his hands doubling their pace.

* * *

Talking to Cas was just as awesome today as it had been yesterday. Learning about him and his culture was way more fun than Dean would have had taking care of Jo's herbs, and he couldn't help but be happy that this whole crazy, fucked up, kidnapping thing had happened.

Soon, Castiel had said he was in a good stopping place, and had leaned over and taught Dean how to tie up his grass so that it wouldn't unravel if he ever were to want to finish it. Dean doubted that he would get the chance since he only had two more days until Uriel would speak to him again, but it couldn't hurt to do it just in case. Plus, Cas might continue his basket once he was gone.

While he was teaching him how to tie it up, their hands brushed delicately. Dean felt the blood rise to his face, and he briefly scolded himself for it. Castiel just kept talking, leaving him wondering _why-_

Oh. Oh _no._ He was _not_ starting to get a damn crush on a fairy. This was stupid and entirely unpredictable and lots of shit could go very very wrong, _this was a bad idea_.

He tied up his basket after a couple of tries and tried not to look like he was flustered as hell. Because he was. He'd gotten very very small crushes on a couple of guys before, but most of his romantic attraction was geared towards women. And, you know. Typically just human beings.

He shoved down the realization for now, deciding that it was something he would deal with later (or just not at all, if he was lucky). Those blue eyes looked into his for a moment before Cas's head tilted just the smallest amount, as if he could tell something was off.

That was when Dean realized that he hadn't done anything except for stare at Castiel in shocked realization for the last twenty seconds.

His face heated up yet again as he stood too quickly, water splashing up and sprinkling onto the fairies closest to him.

"Sorry!" He apologized, flinching at himself. Castiel stood too, the confusion now more than just a glimmer. His head was tilted to the side and his eyes were wide.

"Dean, are you okay?" he questioned. Dean took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Yeah Cas, I'm fine. Can we please just go and get the ingredients?" He asked, standing up and straightening his posture. He was determined not to let his small and ridiculous crush get in the way of behaving normally. Even if things seemed a little weird now.

"Of course." Cas said, shaking the water out of his pants before stepping out of the stream. His bare feet left large water stains upon the earth, and Dean chose to focus on that _instead_ of how ridiculously blue his eyes were.

Yes, there had been a physical attraction from the beginning, Dean wasn't going to deny that in the slightest. But the fact that Cas actually had a really nice personality to match meant that Dean was absolutely, _entirely_ screwed.

Balthazar and Gabriel hopped up as soon as they saw Dean and Cas. The edges of their wings had been dipped just barely into the water, and they decided to get back at Cas's "boring" day plan by shaking them off all over him. Dean was, of course, caught in the crossfire.

"I hope you're happy, Cassie. I'm going to have grass burns from Gabriel's shitty knotting for at least a year." Balthazar joked, holding out his wrists as proof. Castiel rolled his eyes and kept walking, ignoring the small droplets. Dean stopped to inspect the injury.

"If you're interested, Gabriel, I could teach you how to tie a real knot." Dean offered. Gabriel laughed gleefully, full-on dimples.

"No thanks." He said. A look of realization came across Balthazar's face.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? You bastard." He said, sounding scandalized. Gabriel laughed out loud and immediately started running, just barely managing to avoid Balthazar's grasp.

It didn't take long until they were all standing in front of Dean's cabin, staring up. Dean was a little overwhelmed; the sheer size seemed like it was almost too much. Ever since he had been tiny, everything else had been just the right size. He didn't quite understand how something that had seemed so small before was now absolutely _massive._

"How are we gonna open the damn door?" He questioned. As he was talking, Balthazar and Gabriel flew up and grabbed a hold of the handle, pushing with all of their might and sufficiently opening the damn door.

Great. Now he felt stupid.

"After you," Anna purred, holding out an arm. Dean walked through the door and immediately spotted his bag, clothes scattered throughout it.

"It would be easier to just shrink this entire thing." Anna informed him, walking around it and frowning a bit. "That should shrink everything in it. Is there anything you need other than this stuff?"

"No, I don't think so." He admitted. Anna nodded her head.

Dean jumped as a cold, metallic thump sounded through the room. He turned sharply towards the sound of the noise, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin as he did so. His fears immediately relented when he saw that it was just the key for the door into the Roadhouse, and he immediately put together what happened once he saw Gabriel grinning at him from the shelf.

"Why don't you and Castiel work to get whatever it was you two were going to get? Here's some shrinking potion; use it for anything you two may need." Anna said, shoving the bottle into his hand.

"Come on." Castiel insisted, putting a hand on his shoulder. Dean turned, looking back and forth between Cas's hands an his face. Again, the confusion crossed Cas's features, a small enough glimmer that Dean wasn't even entirely certain it was there.

"Right!" He said, too loudly. He marched past Castiel and stood in front of the kitchen door, feet firmly planted and waiting for him to open it. He half-hoped that the Roadhouse door would be harder to open than the door to this place, and that they would end up needing help from Balthazar or Gabriel so that Cas and Dean didn't end up being alone.

There was, of course, no such luck.

The door swang easily open, and they marched inside. Castiel's mouth immediately pursed into a surprised gasp as he looked at all of the equipment. The door behind them shut, but suddenly, that was the last thing that was on Dean's mind.

Cas looked absolutely amazed by everything. His eyes frantically scanned the place and his wings fluttered and twitched as he drank all of it in. Dean found it absolutely, heart-achingly endearing. "Do you like what you see?"

Castiel nodded a bit, walking over to a refrigerator.

Dean spent the next half an hour showing him everything. He walked around the entire kitchen, pointing out the blender and the oven and the toaster, gathering ingredients along the way into some ziplock baggies that he hoped would hold enough. He knew that cup measurements had been around for centuries, so he didn't bother asking Castiel if he had any.

It would be a shame to upset Cas's wonder with questions of his own, anyways. He looked absolutely fascinated by everything. He was intent on touching it all, seeing how it all worked, even looking at his reflection in the mixing bowl.

"This is amazing, Dean. The human world has so much technology to offer." He said, obviously wonder-struck.

"Yeah, I know. But, uh, you know you guys aren't too bad either. You're really neat." He said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted everything. "Neat"? This wasn't the nineteen-eighties. He should have said something that made sense, like "fascinating" or "awesome", but no. God, he was an idiot sometimes.

"Thank you, Dean." Cas said. Then, suddenly, all at once, his stance became just a little more fridgid. He stood up straighter, and his eyes narrowed. "Uriel certainly will be happy to see that you've come to appreciate us and our culture. I'm certain that he would now be confident in letting you go."

Dean paused. What the hell? They had just been having a normal conversation, and then suddenly, Cas was ice cold. It was as if the dude had just found out that some asshole kicked his puppy.

Maybe... Maybe this was his way of saying that he was going to miss Dean? Freezing up so he didn't show any emotion about it?

Dean's brain short-circuited at that point. Castiel, miss him? The cold and frigid warrior who's only friends stood behind them, inside of the little room, waiting for them to come back? There was no way that he'd actually formed an attachment to him.

After all, Dean was just... Dean. He wasn't anything special, nothing to be marveled at or gazed upon fondly. He wasn't somebody's crush or best friend or even the hardest worker. He hurt the people who he loved, drank too much, and refused to do the things he enjoyed sometimes because he was embarrassed by them. There was no way anyone would want him, no way someone who didn't even like regular, _good_ people, could be forming an attachment.

"Yeah, of course. I can't wait for that." He mumbled, because he couldn't stand to trick himself into thinking anything for any period of time longer. He was just plain old Dean Winchester, and that's all he would ever be.

Even if Cas did like him, he would move on after a couple of days. Dean was entirely unremarkable in every single way.

The door pushed open, revealing Balthazar's face peaking around the corner. He eyed Dean and Cas suspiciously, and soon, Gabriel's head joined his around the corner.

"We've got company." Dean said, loud enough that they could hear him. Balthazar smiled and pushed the door away, walking in in long, strong strokes of his legs. He looked positively douchey.

"Sorry, we just had to come in and make sure you hadn't quite deflowered Cassie yet. I mean, he hasn't showed any attraction to anyone before, but it's never too late to start, you know?" Balthazar said, smirking. His eyes clearly showed playfulness, and Cas didn't seem to mind, aside from his cheeks going pink.

"You're a douchebag." Castiel and Dean said together. Dean turned to Castiel in suirprise, feeling his own face start to heat up. You know, actually, now that he noticed it, they were standing sort of close. He could feel Cas's body heat radiating off into his own, and all he would have to do to kiss Cas would be to lean forward a couple of inches...

Balthazar cleared his throat, and Dean jumped a little, putting some distance in between himself and Cas.

"Right. Let's go, shall we?" Balthazar suggested, rubbing his hands together. Castiel walked off and Dean started to follow, but a hand on his shoulder stopped them.

Balthazar waited until Cas was out of hearing range to whisper, "Be up tonight after Cas goes to sleep. Gabriel and I are going to take you to see where the _real_ fun is."


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the next chapter! Yay. I'm actually really proud of this one, I think it's one of the better-written ones. Hopefully, you'll all agree :-)**

**Oh, and thanks to everyone who commented last chapter!**

* * *

Balthazar said nothing else about it, and Dean knew that if he asked in front of Castiel, their plans would get shut down.

God, he was a damn idiot. It was the stupidest idea of stupid ideas in the entire world to go and do whatever the hell Gabriel and Balthazar had planned, but he was too curious to say no. Besides, although Cas was great, he had to admit that the guy did seem to have a bit of a stick up his butt when it came to doing stuff that was fun.

Even if Dean did have a small sort-of crush (that he was trying his hardest to pretend didn't exist) on the guy.

So, his own curiosity kept him quiet and pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary. He had the feeling that whatever it was, it was going to be kind of awesome.

Now, Dean was a pretty smart guy, contrary to popular belief, so he _also_ knew it was probably going to be dangerous, sexual, or ridiculously stupid. Maybe even all three.

He shouldn't have stayed quiet, but he did.

And when the time came that Cas was laying in his own bed, Dean pretending to be asleep on the couch, the door swung slowly open.

Balthazar peaked his head through, eyes slowly scanning the room to see if Cas was still up. Dean immediately sat up on the couch, giving his muscles a nice stretch as the previously mentioned man tentatively took a few steps inside, trying not to make any noise that would rouse Castiel. Dean stared in amusement for a little while before he finally stood up and walked across the floor to Balthazar.

"Hey there James Bond." He said, quietly. Balthazar still flinched.

"Be quiet," He mumbled, "Cassie tends to be a light sleeper when he sleeps alone. With another body in the bed, such as myself or Anna when we were children, he is an absolute rock. But by himself? The wind could blow and he'd be up and running."

"Alright, got it. Now, how are we going to get me-" Before Dean could say the word, _yet again_, he found himself in the arms of another man. He let out a growl of frustration while Balthazar grinned, taking the last few steps to the door and taking flight.

When they (FINALLY, Goddamnit, it seemed to take forever when Balthazar was flying him down) touched the ground, Dean was tempted to drop to his knees and kiss it. At last, glorious dirt. How he had missed solid ground from Cas's nest.

Of course, now that he thought of it, having a house up high in the tree wasn't all that different from having an apartment on the top floor, so he had no room to speak. His and Sammy's was on the seventh floor of a ten-floor building.

"So, what's on the agenda?" He asked Gabriel, leaning around and trying to get clues from whatever he was carrying on him. The only thing Dean could see was a small bag with money in it and a grin stretched across his face.

"Oh no, you're not getting any clues until we get there, human. You're going to be entirely surprised." Gabriel promised, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

It was then that Dean noticed that they were standing beside a wagon. It had enough room for the three of them and some assorted bags that were currently shrouded in darkness and mystery. Attached to the place a horse would _usually_ be on a wagon like this, was a very large squirrel. Dean's mouth dropped open, mind trying to process what it was currently seeing. _Rodents of an unusual size _crossed his mind.

"Gabriel." He said, slowly. "Are you nuts?"

He tried to ignore the accidental pun, because laughing would make him seem pretty crazy, too.

"A little, probably." He said, shrugging. He grabbed one of the bags and shook it a little, and the squirrel sharply turned it's head towards them. "I also _have_ nuts."

He reached into the bag and took one out, tossing it in the squirrel's general direction. It lunged forward and grabbed it out of the air, causing the entire cart to jostle and Dean to almost fall on his ass. A grin stretched across his face. Whatever this was, he could tell it was going to be great.

"We figured we'd need a set of faster legs since yours aren't really up to par." Balthazar said, and for once Dean didn't mind the teasing. Because holy shit, there was a squirrel on the front of their cart! That was fucking awesome! Sam would probably be ranting on about how "fascinating" their culture and shit was by now, but Dean tuned that small bit of information out. He really missed his brother.

If he started thinking about Sam and how much he missed him, he would get into a gloomy mood. And nobody needed that when he could be appreciating the wonderful opportunities his life had given him.

Like, for example, the opportunity to travel by small forest rodent.

"Sit down." Balthazar insisted, grabbing Dean's shoulder. Both of them sat down together, and Balthazar picked up a small piece of rope that was attached to the cart's sides. Dean could still barely see anything in the dark, so it came as a huge surprise when a hand started groping around at his side.

"Hey, hey!" He hissed, muscles jumping.

"Calm down, I need to tie this around us. Squirrel travel is the fastest way anywhere, but it's also the bumpiest and the most likely to kill you." Balthazar hissed. "And to top it off, _Gabriel_ is driving."

Dean mumbled something unintelligible and allowed the "belt" to be fastened, immediately dropping his hands to grasp onto it once it was. He was better safe than sorry, and would like to be _alive _to meet Sam's girlfriend, Jess.

"Alright, is everyone ready to ride the Awesome Express?" Gabriel asked. Dean was too far away to see in the dark, but he would have bet anything that he was making stupid train whistle-blowing motions with his hand.

(And, of course, he was).

"Give us all you've got." Balthazar challenged.

* * *

Dean very soon learned that squirrel riding was akin to descending to the fiery pits of hell. The squirrel's legs propelled them over objects and stretches of land faster than Dean would have originally thought possible, his body tensing and staying tensed for the entire ride. The wind hit his face and he felt oddly weightless as he gripped the side of the cart for dear life, praying that he wouldn't die like this.

He wanted to go out with a heart attack or an old western gun fight. Not like this. Anything but riding a squirrel.

It seemed like forever until the squirrel finally came to a halt, and Dean felt really dizzy, and a hell of a lot like a milkshake. Shaken, that is, not stirred.

He stumbled off the cart to see Gabriel, peacefully hand-feeding the damned beast with nuts. He shook his head to clear it, blinking hard. God, why did everything seem so much brighter now? He could see Gabriel from here, Balthazar was glowing from his right side-

Wait. Glowing?

Lightning bugs lit up all around them. They glowed bright and beautiful, illuminating the air and making everything a little more tranquil than it had been in the daylight. Dean hardly had proper time to appreciate them before his eyes drifted towards the pond, in all of it's glory.

At least seven frogs sat on the ponds, each confined to their own Lilly pads. He watched as they floated serenely along, one of them letting out a long '_croooooak!'_ before snatching one of the fireflies out of the air, eating it in one swift gulp.

"You guys are taking me out here to see... frogs?" Dean questioned, scratching his head. Gabriel and Balthazar grinned at each other, eyes glistening with mischief.

"Not exactly." Balthazar announced, grinning wickedly. Dean knew that if he ever were to get on Balthazar's bad side, he should be terrified of whatever would lay in store for him. "We're taking you out here to _ride_ them."

Dean's mouth fell open in shock.

"What the hell do you mean, to _ride_ them? How is that possible?" Dean questioned, blinking. Half of him didn't believe them at all, and just figured that they were trying to fuck with him to be dicks.

Gabriel reached out and caught a lightning bug, tying a string around it so that it was essentially on a leash. He then proceeded to hide it's glow with a small thing of cloth, that the squirrel had also carried. Balthazar shoved a piece of it into Dean's hands, and he considered making a run for it now, while his pride and entire body was intact.

"Do what he's doing." Balthazar encouraged, reaching out and grabbing a bug. Dean did the same, taking note that it was warm in his hand and in comparison to him, about the size of the average cat, considering his own tiny size.

Dean looped the bug up to it, happy that it didn't seem too perturbed by it's binding.

"Do try not to kill it, these things are good for the ecosystem." Balthazar said, pulling on his own now leashed bug. He grabbed it and covered up the lighting part with his hands, stifling the glow. Dean followed his lead, noting how warm it felt against his skin.

"Are you ready for a wild ride? Do be careful not to get thrown off. Fae have gotten hurt that way." Balthazar said, but there was still a smile in his voice, so Dean wasn't too concerned.

Suddenly, from behind him, there was a loud, "WooooHOOOOOOOO!"

He turned to see Gabriel tugging the lightning bug leash this way and that, barely managing to avoid the frog's tongue each time. The frog hopped up and Gabriel almost went flying off, laughing in joy as if he were a bull rider who had just gotten onto the beast. The frog jumped again, towards dry land, and Dean couldn't _wait_ to get his turn.

He followed Balthazar's lead, grabbing a second 'leash' and heading towards a frog. He kept the lightning bug out of the frog's sight, adrenaline starting to pump through his system. Following Balthazar yet again, he let the lightning bug go, taking the second leash and quickly looping it underneath the frog's throat so that he had something to hold onto while the frog bucked.

One hand held the impromptu reins and one had the lightning bug's leash, his body tensing.

He could _feel_ the shift in the air as the frog noticed the bug. Muscles tensed under him and his heart pounded against his chest. As soon as he saw a flicker of pink, he yanked the lightning bug back, barely saving it from getting eaten. The frog let out a long, frustrated croak, and lept into the air.

Dean was almost jostled off, his legs slipping on the frog's slick back. He let out a loud, triumphant laugh, letting his frog see the lightning bug again. In a few short leaps, he was caught up with Gabriel and Balthazar, all three of them enjoying themselves.

The scenery was breathtaking, for the most part. The trees were large and it seemed like the space between them was endless, the frogs taking no heed to the fact that they were now a long hop's away from the pond. They rode on, frogs almost bucking them at every turn, seemingly oblivious to what was on their backs.

At least, for awhile.

Because, what you see, is that Balthazar and Gabriel didn't mention that sometimes the frogs caught onto what was going on, and then frantically began trying to buck the rider off. And Dean's frog was apparently, one of the smarter ones.

Slowly, the frog's eyes looked back, eyes settling on the strap around it's belly. It didn't lunge at the firefly, simply sitting and watching it with disinterest. Dean felt a very small ball of confusion begin to grow in his chest, accompanied by the rise of nerves and adrenaline.

"Guys?" He asked, uncertainly. Balthazar stopped, turning back. His face filled with shock and fear, and Dean felt paranoia begin to set in.

"GET OFF OF THE FROG!" Balthazar shouted, looking panicked.

Alas, his warning came too late. The frog bucked up and came back down, giving Dean no time to pause. Before Balthazar and Gabriel could do anything, their own frogs got the memo and began to buck.

Balthazar and Gabriel got off safely, using their wings to simply fly off into the air. But Dean, however, was stuck on for the long haul.

Or at least, he thought he was.

But his frog bucked one last time, and there was a _sickening_ snap. The makeshift reins that had kept Dean on the frog broke, and the frog bucked him straight into the abyss of the night.

Dean was in the air. He glanced down to find the frog, looking up at him with hunger in it's eyes. It's mouth opened and Dean began to fall, gravity doing it's work.

_This is it,_ Dean thought, an odd sort of horror coming over him, _I'm going to die, like this. _

His thoughts flickered to Sam. There would be no body, they would have nothing to find. He would be declared missing and his brother would wonder for months, maybe even years if Dean were still alive. He would search for Dean, he knew he would, and where would Dean be? Oh, right, killed by a fucking _frog_. This was the stupidest way to die that he had ever heard of.

He closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable fall.

* * *

Castiel awoke in a haze. His mouth was dry and his body was a little sore. It was clear that he was _not_ going to get back to bed until he got up and got a glass of water.

He swung out of bed with a groan, stretching his back and arms as he prepared for his walk. The house was fairly dark aside from the glowing stones, and he walked to the kitchen mainly by memory. He was lucky he didn't bump into anything, like he usually would when it was this dark.

He really needed to repaint those glow stones. The house should be bright again.

He walked into the room and turned the nozzle he had, waiting for the water to flow up out of the tree. He turned it off and pat the wood affectionately, as if thanking it for it's nourishment. Quickly, he downed the glass of water, letting out a long sigh when he was done. The cool liquid sliding down his throat felt nice.

_Maybe I should check on Dean,_ he thought, walking out into the living room. _He may be having trouble sleeping; my couch doesn't make the most comfortable bed._

He walked out, peering behind the wooden back to search for his friend. To his surprise, the place was empty.

Castiel immediately felt his eyebrows pull together. Maybe Dean was just in the bathroom? But if he was, the door would be closed. And he could clearly see from here that it was hanging open, the hinges moving in the slight breeze.

Wait, breeze?

Turning to look at his front door, he could see that it had been left open. He _never_ left the door open.

Suddenly, he realized something. Why Balthazar and Gabriel had been so secretive on the way back, whispering towards each other and giving him sly glances. Balthazar had even whispered something to Dean that he hadn't quite been able to make out, smiling like a fool and looking between Dean and Gabriel.

If what he suspected was right, he was going to drag those two _straight to hell_.

* * *

Something was holding him up.

Dean was confused for a couple of seconds. The pain of being swallowed or slamming into the ground never came. He almost thought, for a minute, that he might have actually just died before he felt anything, but that theory was scrapped when he realized that he was being held up by a pair of strong arms.

He opened his eyes to look into the angry and relieved eyes of Castiel.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" He demanded, flying a safe distance away before lightly landing on the ground. Balthazar and Gabriel sheepishly followed them, looking down at the ground and refusing to meet Castiel's glare. "You could have _killed_ him."

Dean relaxed a little, feeling the adrenaline start to seep from his body. Cas wasn't angry at _him_, (or, at least, not yet) and he was still alive. All in all, this was a time where he should begin to count his blessings.

"We're sorry, Cassie." Balthazar started, stepping forward. He was rubbing his arm, seemingly a guilty habit he had picked up somewhere. Gabriel was still refusing to acknowledge that they had been caught, staring up at the stars.

"'Sorry' is not good enough. I'll have you know that Dean will _not_ be with you two tomorrow, or _any_ time for the rest of his stay. You know that frog riding is reckless, _even_ for a fae that knows how and is able to fly away in a time of danger. Not to mention _illegal_. If one of the sentries caught you, Dean will not be permitted to go home as scheduled. Did you even think to explain that to him before you handed him the reins?" He demanded, voice scathing.

"That was _illegal?_" Dean questioned, his eyebrows shooting up. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to actually get on a frog. Or listen to Balthazar and Gabriel in general.

"Come on, Cas, we were just trying to let him appreciate the finer things in life. You know that we would never do anything we hadn't thought through! We just... Didn't think this one through_ enough_. We... tried?" Gabriel put in, hopefully. "We gave him reins."

"I don't care." Castiel said, flatly. Dean realized then that he was _still_ in Cas's arms, being held up against his chest. Apart from being vaguely embarrassing, he sort of liked it.

Whoa, he needed to get his brain back on track. Cas was _seething_ mad, he didn't need to let his thoughts go down that path at this moment in time.

"Sorry Cassie." Balthazar said again.

There was a small rumbling, and the squirrel walked over, nuzzling Gabriel. Somehow, the sight of him made Cas even angrier.

"And you brought Mr. Nutters into this?" Castiel demanded. Dean literally could not hold in a small chuckle at Cas saying _Mr. Nutters_ in his angry voice, and received a glare in return. "Don't you dare. You don't get to laugh, you almost died. I'm angry at you, too."

Dean deflated, dropping his eyes to the ground. There was a long, drawn-out silence before Castiel finally said, "I'm flying Dean home now. You two take the squirrel. I will see you at Dean's trial, and no sooner."

"But Cas-" Gabriel and Balthazar said in unison, but they never got their complaints out. Cas's wings flapped powerfully through the air, carrying Dean up and away from the two of them.

Dean closed his eyes and tried not to hyperventilate, knowing that this was the only way to get home and that he was stupid for putting himself in danger in the first place.

* * *

Cas couldn't explain the weird pull in his chest when he saw Dean so vulnerable. He just knew that he _had_ to save him, or else he wouldn't be able to live with himself. It was akin to what he would imagine he would feel if Balthazar or Gabriel were in that position.

Had Dean really become that important to him in that short of a time frame? How could he become so attached to a human, no less a human that would be leaving in a few days' time?

He took off into the air, without another word. Gabriel and Balthazar could find their own way back; he wasn't going to deal with their bullshit.

The flight didn't take long.

He landed safely in his house and walked over to the couch, dumping Dean onto it. "I do hope you've learned your lesson about doing reckless things without informing me."

"Yeah, I think that sunk in right about the time I almost got eaten, thanks." Dean said. Then, an odd shift in atmosphere. "Thanks, by the way. For, uh, saving me. That was kind of awesome."

Dean's voice had sounded sincere. Castiel blinked, owlishly. Dean had something in his eyes, some kind of shining gratitude, that stirred warmth in Castiel. Suddenly, Cas couldn't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't swooped in on time. Couldn't imagine Dean not being here.

"You're welcome." Cas said. The praise and the look in Dean's eyes made a blush rise to his cheeks. _What the hell_? That had _never_ happened before.

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean said.

"Goodnight, Dean. We'll talk about this further in the morning." He promised, still unable to shake off the weird feeling.

Cas went to bed confused.

* * *

The next day, Dean woke up with a headache. He figured it was a mixture of adrenaline and stress, and it probably didn't help that he'd been woken up at the butt crack of dawn, because there was no way he'd gotten any more than four hours of sleep.

Cas had shaken him awake, insisting that breakfast would be ready soon.

Dean rubbed his eyes and let out a loud yawn, stretching one arm and then the other across his chest in an attempt to loosen up. Memories of the night before came back slowly and half-blurry, and he couldn't help but wonder if any of it had actually happened. Then again, he couldn't have dreamed up sheer terror, nor Castiel's voice saying 'Mr. Nutters' with such force.

He didn't think he was ever going to be over that one.

He stumbled up and went to use the restroom, wondering briefly how the hell plumbing worked in a tree, but then deciding that it wasn't worth it to wonder about and walking briskly into the kitchen.

"Did you wash your hands?" Castiel demanded. Dean made a face.

"Dude, yes. Some guys don't, but it's gross not to." Dean commented. Although he wasn't really sure if the weird root soap helped much. Then again, these people weren't exactly uncivilized. If their soap wasn't working, they probably would have figured it all out by now.

"Good," He said, hoisting a gallon bag full of flour onto the counter, "Because you're going to teach me how to make a pie."

Dean blanched. He was expecting Castiel to yell at him and maybe get a little bit growly, not demand baking lessons. That was an odd turn of events.

Dean did, however, proceed to show him how. He dumped some flour into a bowl, dusting his hands off.

"Do you have a measuring cup?" He asked, uncertain as to whether or not he had used the correct amount and hoping that Castiel would have something for him to check.

"No, I measure by intuition alone. Are your senses not that honed?" Castiel said. Dean knew sarcasm when he saw it, so he held out his hand for a measuring cup. He was rewarded moments later with the touch of metal against his palm.

"Thank you." He said, using it to check and make sure. He was a little off, and it probably wouldn't have made a difference, but he was happy to have himself reassured. After all, he didn't memorize a pie recipe only to fuck it up. No sirree, he was going to get that shit right.

It was as he was putting the last of the excess flour back into the bag that an idea occurred to him.

It seemed harmless enough. Cas wasn't easily angered, so it wasn't like he had anything to lose. Well, except for the possibility of the teasing falling flat, but hey, he didn't get where he was without taking a few gambles in life.

So, he turned around with finesse, and put a small dab of flour onto Castiel's nose.

Cas immediately went cross-eyed looking at it, brow furrowing as if he were trying to crack the DaVinci Code.

"I don't understand." He finally said. Dean laughed a little, shaking his head.

"You don't have to. Trust me, it's fun." Dean promised. "Here, do it back to me."

Castiel tentatively reached into the offered bag of flour and got a small dab onto his fingers, reaching up again to softly touch Dean's nose.

"I still don't understand." He said, after awhile. Dean laughed and slowly put his head down onto Cas's shoulder.

Cas froze up for a few seconds, and Dean was afraid that he may have gone too far. He didn't want to upset Cas, and touching him without reason or permission could make him upset. He was almost to the point where he would have pulled away when Cas relaxed, giving Dean's head a small nudge with his own. Dean smiled against his shoulder.

"I hope you know you're a terrible cook. The crust isn't even halfway done yet." Castiel said, flatly. Dean laughed and raised his head up again, going back to teaching Cas how to make the crust.

Finally, the time came to put it in the oven.

"Wait," Dean said, noting something was missing. To his utter dismay, "I forgot what to do about the filling."

"What?" Castiel asked. Dean stared at the empty pie crust in disdain.

"I don't know what to do about the filling. All I was thinking about was the crust. I could have gotten an almond or an apple slice or something, but I didn't, and now we have no filling." Dean said, starting to get angry with himself. God, he should have just thought this damned thing through.

"Well, I have crushed almond bits. Would those help for the filling?" Cas questioned.

Suddenly, the world didn't quite seem so hopeless anymore.

"Do you have anything sweet I could use to help? Like, maple syrup?" Dean questioned. Castiel nodded his head in confirmation, gesturing towards the cabinet. "Thank god, Cas, you're a life saver."

It was almost noon by the time everything cooked. Dean had made three pies with Cas's help, and he couldn't help but feel proud of how good they tasted.

"These are amazing. Humans have these often?" Cas questioned, biting into one. Dean laughed around his mouth full.

"Well, not exactly. I do, but most don't." Dean explained. After that small tidbit, they fell into a mostly comfortable silence.

"You know, I wasn't angry at you." Cas finally said, thoughtfully. Dean stayed quiet, silently urging him to continue. He wanted to hear what Cas had to say about it. "I was more angry at the idea of you getting hurt. I don't want you to end up dead or injured because of me. You're a good man, Dean. Your life is worth more than you give it credit for."

Dean paused. Out of all the things he would have expected to come out of Cas's mouth, that was certainly not one of them. But, if he had to be honest, he was kind of glad that it did.

"I- I really appreciate that." He said, not quite certain of what to do. He should say something sappy back or do something to show that he cared to, but it was hard to. It was hard because it felt like they had known each other for a thousand years, and it had only been days, and Dean is shit at words, especially ones as meaningful as anything he could say back to _that_ should be.

"I know." Castiel said, in response. It was short, simple, and put his mind at ease.

They both ate their fill, savoring the rich flavor.

"You know," Castiel said, at the end of it, "A big part of our culture is our food. I wouldn't be opposed to teaching you how to cook a couple of our meals. Especially since I'm supposed to be giving you an appreciation for us."

"Dude, I would _love_ that." Dean said, smiling like an idiot.

That was how they ended up spending the entire day holed up in Cas's kitchen, Dean watching Cas cook and spice and smile. As he watched him move around the kitchen, Dean felt a small smile creep up onto his face.

He had a crush. Oh, he was so fucked.

There was nothing he could do about it at this point. But oh, was he _fucked._

* * *

***No fireflies were harmed in the making of this fanfiction. **

**This fanfiction is officially no longer a WIP. It's completely written out, yay! Which means that I'm going to be updating the schedule to what it will "officially" be very, very soon. So, with that being said, would you all prefer a different day to update? When would work for you guys? Please comment if you'd like for me to change the day, and what day you'd like it changed to, or if you'd want it to stay the same.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've decided to change the update day to Saturday for a couple of chapters.**

**I might change back to Sunday or Friday soon based on how this chapter does, but next chapter will be out a week from today. **

**Enjoy ;-)**

* * *

Dean and Cas spent the next day back in the river. Dean finished his basket, which was sloppy and had large gaps in it, but he felt a little proud when Cas insisted that it was a great first try. He even blushed when Cas told him he would keep it in his house as a momento of Dean, for when he was gone.

That small reminder set both of them into a bit of a mood. Their usual chatty, lively conversation started to die down, and things became just a little bit awkward.

Dinner was small and quiet, and they both went to bed early.

They both knew that tomorrow had to come, and both of them were dreading it.

* * *

Castiel was sitting in his seat, trying to hide his grin.

God, he'd never been more fond of Dean's smart mouth.

"So, what did you learn in the past four days, Dean?" Uriel asked, looking bored at the walls. Dean smiled, and Cas had, originally, felt his stomach drop. This was the day he'd get sent home, and they'd probably never see each other again.

"Well, your women let their boobs hang out, which is different." He started. Cas had almost choked on air. He shot Dean a panicked look, not fully comprehending what he was doing. Was he _trying_ to be forced to stay here longer?

Dean looked over at him and gave him a subtle wink, which only served to confuse him further.

"Excuse me?" Uriel deadpanned, eyebrows raising. "Have you learned anything about our culture at all?"

"Well, yeah, tons. Cas taught me lots, just like you told him to. I've decided that I don't like it, I've been kidnapped, and I want to go home." Dean said, rebelliously. Castiel felt something stir inside of him. Dean wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what he was doing; and, apparently, he was okay with it.

"Excuse you?" Uriel said, flatly. Dean shrugged.

"You heard me. I want to go home. You're all boring." Dean said, sass setting all the way to MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

Uriel rose, eyes narrowing as he looked up at Dean. He took a few steps, his anger staying steady on his face as he thought through his next words. Castiel had to give Dean credit; he didn't waver. Had he been the recipient of such a scolding gaze, he would be afraid of what Uriel had in mind.

Then again, Dean wasn't a part of the colony and would probably only get sentenced to more time spent with them. And, from what Castiel could see, that seemed to be his goal.

"Really? Because I heard a report from my sentry that you found _frogs_ to be quite interesting, Winchester." Uriel spat, hackles raising. "I ought to have you thrown in jail, and lock away the key. But, since someone _would_ eventually come looking for you, we're going to have to go with an alternative method."

Dean looked a little bit nervous now. Castiel put his head down into his hands. Of _course_ somebody had found out about the toads. Because his life was never complicated enough and bad things had to constantly be happening. He couldn't just follow the rules, for once, because his shitty friends pulled him into stuff like _this_.

Dean had almost died, and Castiel was still angry at them for that.

"You're going to stay here another week. You're required to come to the Fae Ball in four days, celebrating our heritage and culture. You will not break another rule and you will not take a single step in the wrong direction, or I will have your four limbs tied to squirrels and tell them to run in different directions." Uriel growled, glowering with rage.

He turned and stormed out of the council room, and Castiel felt an odd sort of satisfaction begin to grow in his stomach.

Sure, the leader was a little pissed off. But he got to keep Dean for another week, _and_ Dean had done it on purpose. There was no other explanation for his callous and risky behavior.

Maybe this meant that Dean _liked_ him?

Castiel had a few friends, but Dean Winchester was unlike any before. He was brave and strong and cared too much about some things and too little about others, his personality making him and Cas, (once Cas had finally loosened up) click together like puzzle pieces. Thinking that Dean might have done this specifically so he could stay with Cas made Cas's stomach do a weird little dance.

He walked to Dean, who definitely didn't look disappointed in Uriel's decision.

"You could have gotten yourself thrown into jail." Cas said flatly, unable to stop the warm feeling from snaking around his chest. Dean looked at him, shrugging a little.

"He was right, I would have made humans walk through the woods for months on end if I had gone missing. I mean, think about it, Castiel. Do you think this beautiful mug could go missing and people not care?" Dean asked, flashing Cas a teasing smolder.

"No, I'd search for days." Castiel teased.

Then, suddenly, he paused. Actually, Dean did seem pretty attractive. He had wide, beautiful green eyes and thick, plump lips and a face with the lightest dotting of freckles. Not just in an aesthetic way, either. Castiel could suddenly imagine the feeling of those lips pressing gently against his, and-

WHOA. What the _actual_ fuck? Castiel's face became red and he backed up a great deal, confusion taking the place of his warm, gooey feeling.

He had never before, in his life, experienced wanting to kiss someone. He'd heard about it, read about it, even been forcibly kissed (he didn't find it all that enjoyable an experience to be honest) but he'd never wanted to kiss another being. And _especially_ hadn't found another being attractive like _this_ before.

He could picture all too vividly letting Dean run his hands up and down Castiel's body, exploring the contours of his chest, maybe fingers carding through his hair as Cas sank down...

He stopped that thought in it's tacks. He had never gotten an erection in public in his entire life, and he was not about to ruin that now just because Dean Winchester was a little bit pretty. And nice. And sweet. And standing a foot and a half away from him.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" Dean asked, looking just a little concerned. It was then that Cas realized he'd been staring for what could be considered much too long. He cleared his throat, straightening himself out and nodding his head in confirmation.

"Of course. Sorry, I just got a little..." His eyes flickered back down to Dean's lips again, "Distracted."

"That's okay, we've all been there. One time in math class, I actually fell off my chair I was so hardcore not paying attention. The teacher made me sit out in the hall for a week. Of course, we'd moved schools again before I had to take any kind of test, so it wasn't a bad thing that it happened. I got to sleep out there." Dean teased. "And Sam-"

Suddenly, Dean cut off. His eyes widened to a comical level, and he slowly put his face into his hands, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Sam is going to call me tonight."

"What?" Castiel asked, uncertain as to what relevance this had with the story.

God, did Dean even have the same genetalia as him? Not that he really minded if he didn't, but it would be a good idea to just jump into anything without knowing whether or not they were different. I mean, it might be awkward to get your clothes off and suddenly realize-

Castiel steered his thoughts back, trying to stay focused. This new revelation wasn't something he could allow himself to dwell on; Dean was leaving in a week anyways. There was no way Castiel could take the loss if his only romantic interest had to leave. Not to mention that he didn't even know if Dean _returned the sentiment_ or not.

"My brother. Is going to call me, on the telephone, later tonight." Dean explained. "If I don't pick up and answer him, he's going to get concerned. If he gets concerned, there's a good possibility somebody close will come looking for me. You have to get me to my cell phone tonight."

"We can do that. It's not a big deal." Castiel said, trying not to be distracted. Dean let out a huff of air and smiled, the tension draining from his shoulders. It was clear that he cared deeply for his little brother, judging by how often he talked of him and how praising he always sounded.

"Okay, awesome." Dean supplied, smiling like an idiot. "You know, maybe we can tell him you're just a friend of mine and you could meet him over the phone?"

"I think I'd enjoy that." Castiel supplied, smiling back. They shared a moment of eye contact, neither of them looking away. It vaguely registered with Cas that this _should_ be uncomfortable, that they had both been staring for what was considered a beyond socially acceptable time, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

"Let's go now. It's two in the afternoon and I'd like to get a head start on something I'm making." Castiel informed Dean. Dean nodded, turning to lead the way as they walked out the door.

"I hope you know I'm gonna read one of your boring fairy books on humans while you do that." Dean said, looking back to shoot Castiel a dazzling smile. "I want to figure out how much you know. Maybe I can fill you in on some of the more interesting parts."

* * *

Dean stared down at the paper in shock.

Honestly, the fae didn't know all that much about humans and human culture, and what they _did_ seem to know was vastly wrong and outdated. Dean decided then and there that he would take it upon himself, in whatever ways possible, to show Cas as much about humans as he could.

He couldn't have the fae constantly making misconceptions about their people; as true as it was that humans were far from being as advanced as the fae were, they were still better than _that_. Maybe it would be time for them to find out about the fae's existence, and they could help each other out?

Dean knew for certain the fae could use getting televisions. He was stunned when he found out that the most advanced technology any of the fae had seen the humans use was a machine that communicated in _morris code_. For crying out loud, they practically had flying cars now!

"You know, Cas," Dean started, walking into the kitchen and putting the book down, "I think I need to teach you about some stuff. Because _this,_" Dean gestured frantically to the book, "Is literal crap."

Cas smiled a little bit, seeming to relax in Dean's presence. He noticed, but Dean didn't want to let it go to his head, so he quickly changed his train of thought. Probably nothing, probably nothing...

"Well, why don't you start telling me now? I was fairly certain our information was out of date when Anna saw those magazines sprawled across your desk. A woman back in those times was not allowed to expose herself as such, and certainly not to attract attention of the male gaze, lest she be persecuted." Castiel said, sliding Dean a bowl of something hot and fresh. He noticed Cas had put bits of pie crust into the bowl, and Dean smiled.

"You guys went through my porn collection? You're all a bunch of pervs." Dean said, digging in. It briefly burned his tongue, but it was _so_ worth it. It tasted better than anything he'd ever had before. Then again, all of Cas's cooking was fantastic.

He'd like to have Cas and Sammy meet officially. Which was odd, because for the most part he really didn't care about Sam actually meeting his friends.

Aaaah, cruel irony. As soon as he found a friend he was certain he'd want Sam to meet, it turned out Sam _couldn't_ meet him because of some stupid "fae must remain a secret" shit that their culture came up with. Dean did admit the humans had a lot of wrongdoing to make up for, but keeping yourself isolated and refusing to give them a second chance wasn't benefiting anyone.

At least, Dean hoped. He acknowledged there would be some problems with some of the humans, but a great deal of people would be fascinated, and this would prove society would still function even if people continued to move forward. A lot of arguments about social change would be shot down in light of how well the fae culture was doing, despite their improvements.

Then again, they also might look at it, shrug, and say the fae were going to hell.

Yeah, a portion of them would probably do that.

"You know, the female anatomy is slightly different on your people than ours." Castiel said, conversationally. "Our females don't have as large of an opening, but then again, our wings are highly involved in the mating process."

Dean paused. "What, like, your females don't have the same parts? How different is "different"?" Dean asked. His eyes flickered up to Cas's wings, wondering how those could possibly be used in a sexual manner.

Actually, now that he thought of it, he couldn't see a way they _couldn't_ be used in a sexual manner.

"It's a lot to explain and," Castiel glanced outside, taking into consideration the position of the sun, "We need to get a move on if you're expecting to make it to your phone in time for your brother's call."

"Oh, shit," Dean said. It looked pretty damned late to him, and as far as Sam knew, he was holed up in a one-room place. It would be impossible to miss a call from there. He stood up, placing his bowl in the sink (now empty) and checking to make sure Cas had eaten his before he grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "Let's get a move on."

"You know, we'd get there a great deal faster if you'd let me fly us there." Castiel said flatly. He was clearly teasing, though.

Dean paused, his steps faltering a bit.

Okay, yes he was deathly afraid of heights. But a big part of that was how unreliable planes and bridges and all that shit seemed. Tragedies happened every damned day, and he didn't want to be a part of any of that. But Cas? Cas was different. Cas had caught him and saved him when he was about to fall. Cas had never dropped him, never would, and Dean didn't know how it was possible, but he trusted Cas already more in these days than he did most of his friends he's known for years.

"Yeah, okay." Dean said, shrugging. Castiel paused, confusion coloring his features.

"Yeah, okay?" Cas asked, uncertain. "Aren't you-"

"It doesn't matter." Dean interrupted, not wanting a chick flick moment to happen. He didn't want to be doe-eyed and open and honest and talk about trust and blah blah blah, he just wanted to give this whole thing a try right now. "I'll be fine. You're not planning on dropping me, right?"

"Of course not." Castiel said. Dean could have lived his whole life and not seen anything as beautiful as the nice, quirky half-smile he gave him at that moment, eyes shining with the knowledge that he was trusted. Dean had to look away.

"Well, are we gonna go or not?" He asked, mainly because he couldn't stand the thought of knowing that Cas was looking at him like that. He did buy himself an extra week, but that's _all_ he could buy. He had family and commitments, and he couldn't keep doing this to himself, dammit, he should really stop liking people he had to leave.

This had always happened to him as a kid. He'd find somebody he connected to well, and then they'd end up invariably separated.

He would not let himself become that attached to Cas. He _couldn't_.

"I hope you're ready. I'll go slow for you." Cas said, leaning down to pick Dean up. Dean's thoughts all flew away in the breeze as he was hoisted up, his face inches from Cas's.

He melted a little bit, a goofy grin that he didn't try to stop coming yet again. Castiel looked away and took a few steps, Dean barely remembering to be impressed by his strength.

Cas started to fly, his wings flapping hard against the wind, leaving Dean just a little bit in awe at how everything was. He watched as they moved methodically up and down, carving out the air like a butcher knife would butter. Cas's face was so calm and concentrated that, for awhile, he forgot why he was ever afraid of the air.

It was too short and too long at the same time when he was set down, unceremoniously, on top of the front porch of the small room. Castiel flew up to pull on the door handle, swinging it unceremoniously open and gesturing for Dean to go inside.

Dean did so, still amazed at how large everything seemed from this vantage point.

"Okay, so my phone is up there." Dean said, gesturing to the dresser. "It should be on charge, so that isn't a problem."

Castiel nodded, not wasting a moment before he picked Dean up and flew them up to the wooden dresser together.

Cas must have had the best internal clock ever, because just as they touched down, the phone started to ring. He ran forward and slid the "unlock" button, pressing "accept call" in record time. Sammy's voice flowed smoothly over the line, and Dean didn't think he'd ever been more happy to hear it.

"I only have ten minutes to talk before Jess and I are going to the movies, I'm gonna warn you now," Sam said. Dean tried not to feel disappointed.

"That's fine. I'm actually with a friend right now anyways, so I'm sure I can find something to do without you." Dean said, partially teasing. Castiel perked up at the mention. "His name is Cas."

"Really? You have friends?" Sam asked, pretending to be incredulous. Dean rolled his eyes.

"If you were actually here, I'd noogie you so hard for that." He promised. Sam laughed.

"I apologize for the interruption, but what, exactly, is a 'noogie'?" Castiel questioned, tilting his head to the side. Sam made a sound on the other end of the phone, something that sounded like a mixture between a scoff and a goat dying.

"You don't know what a noogie is? You know Dean, and you don't know what a _noogie_ is? Christ, he must really like you if he hasn't done you the honor yet." Sam said, laughing a little.

Dean felt a blush rise to his cheeks and quickly covered it up by saying, "Hey, he's lead a sheltered life, I may be cruel but I'm not a complete monster."

"Yeah, whatever, jerk." Sam said. He was interrupted by a small shuffling sound, and then a knock on his door. He let out a gasp, excitement and nerves both obviously present.

"I'm gonna go now, Jess is here." He said, and then added, "Sorry if I wasn't able to talk too long, I'll call you again tomorrow if you want?"

"No, no no!" Dean said, a little too fast. "It's fine. I have Cas here with me and you're busy. Tell you what, we'll talk in a week, okay?"

"Same time?" Sam asked, apparently too caught up in what he was doing to notice the abruptness of Dean's answer. Dean paused.

"Yeah, sounds good." He said, nodding his head despite the fact that Sam couldn't see him. There was the sound of a muffled "Hello" from a woman, and then the dial tone rang out proud and strong. Dean stared at the phone for a few minutes, trying to come to terms with the fact that it was really over so fast.

"Well, that was pleasant." Castiel put in, smiling a little. Dean tried to stop the sadness from creeping up. Well, there would always be next week. And, in fact, he did have something to help cheer him up.

"Hey, Cas," He said, suddenly. Castiel jumped a little bit. "Balthazar and Gabriel told me you didn't know what your sexuality was because there wasn't really a word for it. Do you want to look it up and see if it has a name in the human world, or...?"

Suddenly, Dean felt a little stupid. Cas's cheeks were growing red and he nodded his head a little, looking down towards the floor. Dean went back to his phone, ignoring how hot his ears felt now- Why had he brought it up so abruptly? God, he was an idiot.

"Actually, that sounds wonderful. I, uh... I don't just see someone and feel attracted to them. Anyone." Castiel clarifies, looking down and fiddling with his pants. They were soft, but the texture wasn't enough to distract him from how hot his face was.

"Well, any ramifications on that? Because if you're not attracted to anyone ever, that's just asexuality."

* * *

Castiel thought.

No, he was attracted to some people. He just... needed a way to say it without blowing up the fact that the only one was Dean. Then again, he hadn't been sexually attracted to him at first. He'd only become appealing after...

"I only experience sexual attraction after a romantic connection has been established. And I rarely have emotional connections." Castiel blurted. Then, he quickly added, "I mean, I've never really had the chance or liked anyone enough," Lies, "to be entirely sure, but I believe that's how it works."

Dean nodded his head thoughtfully, turning back around and starting to type something on his phone. He leaned this way and that, reaching all the way across the keyboard and tapping a letter before leaning the other way. He let out a small laugh.

"This is a lot more exercise than when I was tall." He grumbled, finally pressing the enter button.

It took a few minutes of him clicking on links and looking through answers, but eventually, he let out a small noise of triumph.

"Good news, there is a word for it. Do you care to hear?" Dean offered. Castiel nodded, eagerly. All his life, he'd felt like he didn't quite fit into anything. Knowing that there was at least a word for his orientation might help with that, even in the smallest bit. It would _mean_ something.

Nerves twisted in his stomach.

"Okay. The definition is, "A person who only experiences sexual attraction after a crush or other romantic inclination is formed"," Dean read, looking a little oddly at the screen. He turned back to Cas, raising an eyebrow. Cas couldn't help but think that he looked dashing. But that, of course, was not the reason his heart was thumping wildly in his chest. No, that was because...

"There's a word for what I am." He said, in amazement. "That's it. What's- what's it called?"

"It's called 'demisexual'. Demi, of course, meaning half. So I guess that means your only sexual part of the time. You've never... You've never been attracted to anyone, though?" Dean questioned.

Castiel's eyes met Dean's. Dean's were shining with some kind of emotion, something that looked strangely like hope, but at the same time, the furthest thing away from it.

Cas could be brave. He could admit he'd gotten a small crush, one with absolutely no explanation, but he wasn't going to. He couldn't put himself out on the line like that, not when Dean was leaving. In fact, really he should nip this crush in the ass before it got any more out of control than it already was. He was sinking deep, deep down, and there were no life rafts on the love boat. Only like, those weird pool noodles that don't actually hold people up at all and almost cause children to drown.

"No, I haven't. Not yet. There have been..." Castiel was going out on a limb saying this, "Or, rather, there are some close calls, but no. Not yet."

Dean nodded a little, and the air between them became awkward. He seemed to let the subject drop, turning around and fiddling with his phone a little more.

"Sorry, I have to text Jo real quick and tell her I'm still alive. And that he plants are, too." He mumbled, as he worked. Castiel didn't really mind. Watching Dean concentrate was so hypnotic, the way his face scrunched up and he gave the smallest of frowns while he worked. His concentration was riveting in the strangest way.

"That's fine. Go ahead and tell her I said hello." Castiel said, smiling broadly.

"I'm telling her what happened, actually. Her mom needs to haggle me more days off work since I can't actually go in like this. It'll take a couple of messages to actually explain the situation." Dean said. "But yeah, I'll work that in. Do you and Jo talk often?"

"We have talked a couple of times. Jo is very kind for a human, although I still don't trust her and rarely spoke due to my own setbacks. However, after you've shown me how wrong I was... I may talk to her more often, now." Castiel mumbled. Dean nodded his head.

"I hope you'll still talk to me." He said, trying to sound casual. Castiel's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? Won't you be gone?" He asked, trying to squish down the hope that fluttered in his chest. Dean might still be able to talk to him?

"Well, there are still cell phones. I could get Jo to set up something to where I could call and talk to you every once in awhile. And I have Saturdays and Sundays off of work, which means I could come down and visit, you know, in person. Actually, I didn't even realize I might be able to _see_ you again until just now." Dean said, his face breaking into a smile. Castiel felt his own lips pull up, and he knew he was radiating satisfaction.

"I would still talk to you, yes. I would very much enjoy the phone calls."

He could still talk to Dean. Sure, the possibility of anything more between them was still void, (they lead very different lives, after all,) but he wouldn't have to lose him. The thought made Castiel's defenses slip, just the smallest bit.

After all, who cared if he had a little crush now? It wasn't like he wasn't going to be able to see Dean again. It wouldn't be the sort of painful, agonizing tear away it would have been before. He could handle just pretending, even for a little while, that there's a chance.

He could bask in the glory of his puppy love if he wanted to.

"So, do you, uh, want to watch a movie?" Dean questioned, pointing towards the screen. "I'm done sending the text and Jo probably won't read it until morning, she gets drunk off her ass on special occasions."

"A movie?" Castiel asked. "Those are the moving pictures, correct? A fae observed those about a century ago and wouldn't shut up about how humans were using magic now and how hypocritical it all was." Castiel stopped talking, realizing that this was vaguely irrelevant. He cleared his throat, and said, "I, however, would love to see one."

"Alright." Dean chuckled, pressing a few buttons. He leaned up higher and pressed a button repeatedly, and dramatic music filtered through the speakers. "I hope you're okay with Star Wars. It's all I have downloaded."

"I don't know what that is." Castiel said, tilting his head in confusion. Dean looked at him with a small bit of affection in his eyes for a moment until he suddenly snapped out of it, getting up and looking for something.

He walked over to a tissue box and heaved, pushing it as hard as he could to get it over to them. Once it was, he pulled out a big bundle of the fluffy tissues, laying them on the ground. He plopped down on top of them, sinking into it like a bed of feathers.

He patted the seat next to him enthusiastically, and Cas moved. He sat down, a little awkward, a little uncertain as to how close it was acceptable to be in this situation.

He watched the screen with a growing and healthy interest. He knew, logically, that this was a fictional story and humans had yet to make all of these advances, but... Man, did it seem _real_. The effects were absolutely spectacular. It left him actually wondering which parts of the movie were true and not true.

About half way through the film, Dean scooted over, leaving their thighs touching. Castiel was immediately distracted by the oh-so pleasant warmth. Dean's arm moved to wrap around his waist, a thumb slowly and idly stroking his feathers. Castiel fought off the imminent arousal, puffing up his feathers and trying not to notice the small touches.

Other than the small bursts of electric _want_, the feeling of being pressed up against Dean was... nice. It got Castiel's hopes up, made him consider the possibility of... well, more. He thought about just how easy, just how nice it would be to lean over and kiss Dean on the lips. How his body could curve around the other's, how warm and safe he'd feel and make Dean feel in their embrace.

It was all too soon that the movie ended. As it did, Cas realized his head had somehow ended up on Dean's shoulder.

"Have humans actually colonized space yet?" Castiel questioned. Dean laughed a little.

"Nope, but we're not too far from it."

"I'd like to live there." Castiel said, thoughtfully.

"Space, or with humans?" Dean teased, shoving Cas a little, playfully. Castiel smiled.

"Honestly, both." Cas said. Dean paused, his voice becoming soft, sincere, losing it's playful pitch.

"Honestly, I'd take you with me if I could." He informed Cas, nudging him softly.

Castiel smiled. How nice would that be?

The entire way home, all Cas could think about was a) not running into a tree, and b) how soft and warm Dean felt pressed up against his chest.

* * *

**Leave a comment, follow this fic, or drop me an ask on my tumblr at MysticMoonhigh. All would be appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I absolutely adore this chapter. It's one of my favorites. ****  
****Warning: I am mean to Meg in this fic/chapter. Sorry if that doesn't appeal to you! (I'm nice to her usually but needed a villain that made sense for this, sorry)**

* * *

Dean sat, staring at a book as the words jumped off the pages. "This is fucking ridiculous!"

"SHHHHHH!" The librarian shooshed, her sunrise-colored wings puffing up in frustration. He didn't really mind the reprimand, but she could have given him a _little_ slack. This was important. The fae had a great deal of misconceptions about human kind. For example, this book said that their cars were powered by very small horses.

Yeah, he was still a little confused about that one.

"I was honestly thinking that was a little ridiculous. I'm glad it's not something true." Castiel mumbled, smiling the smallest bit. "When you said you were a mechanic, I thought it meant you dealt with the horses who were too old or tired to continue walking in their car."

"Horse and buggies were the last thing we did with horses, trust me. I'm glad you guys didn't assume that was witchcraft too, though. I mean, this is a little crazier, but..."

"I'm glad we have you to teach us. Ignorance may be bliss, but in this case it's gone too far." Cas teased. He was slowly loosening up, Dean noticed. He still acted like he had a stick up his ass sometimes, but most of the time he was relaxed and more... himself? Was that how to put it?

He wouldn't have believed that the transformation from robot to this would have taken place over four days. This was incredible. Everything about being here and being around him was incredible.

"Cassie!" Balthazar said, his voice echoing amongst the rows of books.

"SHHHHHHHH!" The librarian demanded again. "People are studying for finals here! Do you want a coffee crazed teenager to hit you over the head?" She reminded them. Balthazar shot her a smile, shrugging.

"If they looked anything like you, I might like it." He flirted, sending a subtle wink. Her face blushed a deep crimson, the color of her hair. It took a few seconds, but she ushered a couple of kids away, leaving herself. They were essentially alone in this particular set of shelves.

"What do you want?" Castiel demanded, turning towards his friend. Balthazar rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, as if wondering what he had done to deserve this scrutiny.

"Can't I just come and visit you without always having an ulterior motive?"

"Last time I saw you, you almost killed my friend and I told you expressly that you weren't to see him again until he left. You wouldn't dare approach me unless you had something to say." Cas said, sounding a little grumpy.

Dean flinched at the memory.

"Oh, come on Cassie, we both know you forgive easier than that. It's not my fault your snog buddy doesn't have wings." Balthazar said. Castiel's eyes didn't leave his, and the moment of silence seemed to stretch on to the brink of infinity until it was finally broken by, "Alright then, fine."

"Gabriel has his squirrel race today. You've been helping us prepare for months, and I thought that you might want to come. After all, you do have a certain fondness for Mr. Nutters, am I correct?" Balthazar asked. Castiel's eyes lit up.

"That was today? I thought that wasn't taking place for at least another three weeks. Is Gabriel _ready_ to ride Mr. Nutters?" Castiel questioned, sounding a little concerned.

"The weather's looking bad on the usual day. He did a good enough job steering the other night. Oh, by the way, he said to tell you that he apologized and didn't mean to drag the squirrel down with us. Uriel has already given him a slap on the wrist, metaphorically speaking, and me too. We want to see the human again."

"Well, you're quite to the point." Castiel said, leaning back in his chair. He paused a minute, eyes shifting between the two present. "It's Dean's choice. He's the one you almost killed."

"If you pull a stunt like that again, I'm going to cut both of your balls off and hang them from the nearest tree-"

"Oooh, kinky. I like it."

"-but, if you promise to never do anything like that again, I'm fine with whatever." Dean said. Balthazar beamed at him and clapped a hand to his shoulder, shaking him a little.

"There's my boy! Now, Cas, I assume you're a go for the races today?" Balthazar asked, clearly hopeful. Castiel looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before he sighed and nodded his head yes, looking a little bit like he already regretted the situation. Balthazar let out a whoop of triumph, smiling broadly at the two of them.

"I promise you two will not be disappointed. Gabriel is really going to win this time, I can _feel_ it."

* * *

"I can't believe I let you drag me here." Cas mumbled, milling through the crowd. Dean looked around, taking in all of the faces and sights and smells there were to be had. A man with small tickets was selling bets in exchange for small coins, and a kid was crying because his mom wouldn't buy him what looked like a green churo.

So overall, it didn't seem all that much different than the horse races.

Of course, not that Dean could really comment on that, seeing as how he'd never actually_ been_ to the horse races. He'd seen a couple on television, had a general idea of what they were like, but he'd never been able to go to one in person.

It had been on his bucket list for awhile though. Which, of course, may explain why his face was lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning.

Then again, it might also be that him and Cas were practically holding hands as not to get separated in the crowd.

Cas's hand was warm and calloused, large and comforting, just the right size to fit into Dean's own. He knew that what they were doing was only necessary, but it didn't stop him from enjoying it. Cas kept sending him little glances like he wasn't sure whether or not he was okay with it, and Dean just wished he could show him just how "okay" with it he really was.

But he couldn't do that. Cas didn't like him back, there was no way. Dean had finally gotten around to admitting to himself that he had a crush, he didn't need to complicate things any. He'd simply decided to enjoy it while it lasted, and not bring about any trouble.

"Want to go wish him luck in the stalls?" Balthazar turned and shouted, his voice barely making it to them over the excited buzz of the crowd. Dean couldn't say a lot about the fae culture so far, but he got the feeling that when they committed to something, they went all out.

He also got the feeling that there wasn't honestly much out of the way of work to do in this town. It had a wonderful sense of community and general productivity, but not quite enough freedom.

He wondered how that felt.

One thing he knew for certain was that Castiel would _love_ it back in the human world. He'd want to read every book and watch every movie. He'd want to go out and go bowling and skating and meet new people. He'd be absolutely fascinated with everything and everyone.

Maybe he'd even let that brain of his let go of work. Dean could buy him a laptop, let him start to write, maybe the dude could even get a novel published.

He wasn't sure how they'd hide his wings, but he knew they'd find _something_.

He was snapped out of his fantasy by the fact that they were walking into a small space, less noisy and more smelly. Dean looked at the walls, small windows slotted into them occasionally, and his brow furrowed.

Suddenly, a large brown squirrel stuck it's nose through one of the holes. Dean jumped about a foot in the air, hand moving to clutch at his heart from the sudden intrusion. Once he realized what it was he had quickly recovered, grinning sheepishly and clearing his throat.

Dean couldn't let himself get frightened by a squirrel. The little thing was probably-

"Be careful." Balthazar warned flippantly, tossing a glance over his shoulder. "That one's Crowley's. He bites."

Dean glared at the thing, scooting past with Castiel. It was only when Castiel's grip became a little looser that he realized they didn't actually _have _to be holding hands anymore. He had an awkward few moments of wondering whether or not pulling away would send the wrong message or the right one before Cas did the job for him, withdrawing his hand and looking up at the ceiling, as if studying it.

"Guys!" Gabriel announced joyfully, smiling. He radiated happiness from his core. "I'm so glad you can make it."

"Well, they were fetched by only the most persuasive, seductive, ravishing being on the planet. Really, what else could you expect?" Balthazar purred, wings puffing up proudly. Dean resisted the urge to casually kick him in the crotch.

"Dude, you won't _believe_ what this girl promised to do to me if I win." Gabriel said, wagging his eyes at Balthazar and Castiel. Balthazar patted him on the shoulder where as Castiel rolled his eyes, amusement and fondness still ever present in his gaze.

"Oh, come on, Cassie, don't be a prude! You know you want to get you some of that tall, black-haired, green-eyed-"

"Actually, I'd rather get a healthy dosage of personality. I'm demisexual." Castiel clarified, smiling. Dean knew that it meant a lot to him to finally have a word for what he was, to not have to wonder any more if he was alone. Balthazar and Gabriel exchanged looks of astonishment.

"Demisexual?" Balthazar asked. "How did you figure that out? What does it mean?"

"It means I'm only sexually attracted after I've had an emotional connection with a person. Dean helped me figure it out." He said, relaxing a little bit more.

"Oh, he did now?" Balthazar asked suggestively, throwing him a wink. Castiel took a few minutes to realize what he was implying, and his face slowly turned red. Dean could feel his own face heating in a similar fashion. "What exactly did that involve?"

"Balthazar-"

"Come on now, out with all the juicy details!" Balthazar insisted, wiggling his eyebrows.

"We want to hear about _everything_ about how _terrible_ he is in bed." Gabriel insisted.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm _amazing_ in bed!" Dean insisted, crossing his arms over his chest in anger. Balthazar and Gabriel shared a glance before bursting out in laughter, and Castiel gave a deep sigh, looking towards the ceiling as if questioning what he did to deserve this.

"The internet. He looked it up on the internet." Castiel said, barely managing to be heard through Balthazar and Gabriel's laughter.

"Yeah, you perverts." Dean said, shooting them a glare. Castiel felt a small jolt of confusion mixed with heat go through his body as an arm snaked around his torso, coming to firmly rest on his hip. He looked over, and Dean winked. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're gonna go find a place _without_ the two of you."

Dean turned and Cas felt his own body follow. Of course, his thoughts were entirely separate from this whole event, up in the clouds and over-analyzing everything. They walked back out into the crowded place, and Cas expected Dean's hand to casually drop from his side.

It didn't. It stayed firmly in place, Dean's body pressing close as he began to lead them through the crowd. Castiel felt the hand against his hip like a brand, and was barely privy to the odd, and sometimes almost confused, looks that people were giving him. As if they were saying, 'After a hundred and fifty years, you're with a _human_'?

"Well, well, well," Came a voice, drawn out and dripping with an attitude Cas had almost forgotten. He flinched, turning to face her. Dean's hand dropped from his side then, and he felt a pang of regret. "If it isn't my old friend Clarence! And with a new boy toy, too."

"Hello, Meg." He said, flatly. Meg smirked, showing off her full lips and rounded face. Really, Castiel knew by most people's standards, she was attractive.

"Hey there. Who is this? The human everyone's been talking about?" She questioned, gesturing towards Dean. Castiel felt himself bristle as she continued, "Wow, never thought I'd see anyone get that close to you, Clarence. What makes him so special?"

There seemed to be no ill intent in her words, but Castiel didn't trust her. There was a time when he had started to, but not anymore, not after what happened. There was no way that he could.

"Well, obviously it's my charming personality." Dean growled from beside him, picking up on Cas's tension. Meg's eyebrows raised, and she leaned back.

"Whoa there tiger, didn't mean to offend. I was just trying to give a hello to an old friend, can't a girl get a little love around here?" She questioned flippantly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She looked at Castiel pointedly, her bitter smile making his skin crawl. "Or is an 'emotional connection' too much to ask for?"

Cas felt a pang of anger as he realized that she had listened in on their conversation.

"When someone is as unappealing as you, it is." Cas said from beside them, glaring at her. Meg rolled her eyes and looked back to Dean, a clear, 'Can you believe this guy?' written on her face. When Dean didn't change from his hostile stance, she smiled and turned, looking over her shoulder to say, "Well, boys, I'm off. You know the drill, Crowley asked me to get his damned squirrel some food."

As she walked away, Castiel looked at her purple wings with a mixture of sadness and contempt.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked, as soon as she was out of ear shot. Castiel gave a sigh, not feeling up to talking about his past right now, but knowing it to be necessary. Dean was his friend now, and deserved to know what had just transpired.

"I'll explain it once we've found out seats." Castiel said, deciding that that would be the best course of action. Instead of pushing, like he expected Dean to do, he nodded and followed Cas as he began to lead them down the rows.

The smells were intoxicating. There was the smell of food and alcohol and flowers, all swirling together to make something that was absolutely delectable. The smells reminded Cas of a different time, before he'd pledged his life to serve as a soldier. Memories of when he was young, nine or ten, and his parents bringing him out here.

Memories of when he felt like an individual.

Which, of course, is why he hadn't been here in thirty years. Feelings like that were dangerous. Feelings like that crawl up inside of you and build a home, and if you give them the chance, they'll tear you apart on the inside. Cas had been trying too hard for too long to let go of the part of him that longed to drop the facade of the obedient soldier he'd crafted.

And, with Dean here these last few days, he'd already began to let it slip. His personality was floating to the surface again. He wasn't so rigid and cold. He felt like those feelings on the inside, instead of tearing him apart, were slowly thawing him when he hadn't even known that he'd been frozen.

A part of him wanted to fight against it, but that part was too warm to argue about it. He was certain that, even if he didn't have romantic feelings for Dean, this would still be happening. Dean was just... He was just absolutely meant to change Cas.

Sometimes, Cas let himself believe in destiny, just a little. This was one of those times.

He found their seats towards the front, a large box sat across both of them with their names in shitty handwriting. Castiel fought the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that it was Balthazar who had done this, and barely managed to keep from it.

He moved the box out of the way and they sat down, pressed close by choice rather than necessity. Dean gave him a few minutes, despite the fact that Cas could tell he was burning with curiosity, itching to ask about Meg again.

"We were friends for a short time." He began. Dean's head turned to him, struggling to hear over the crowd, but managing and keeping silent. Castiel raised his voice a little bit, trying to be considerate.

"We were actually starting to get a little bit close, but she ruined it when she insisted on having further relations with me. She was pushy and invasive, and I couldn't deal with how forward she had become.

"The line got drawn when she cornered me in my bedroom one night and kissed me."

"Dude, what the fuck? Did you shove her away?"

"No, I knew if I did that she would just insist I hadn't 'given it a try' like she wanted. I waited until she finished and told her to get the hell out of my house. Later I found out that she actually needed something from Raphael, who leads our Warriors and has become a fairly good friend of mine. A large part of me believes that she just wanted the status going out with me would bring."

"I don't throw this word around a lot, but honestly, she was a bitch. That sucks, man." Dean said, seething with anger. "I can't believe she would have the nerve to talk to you that way."

"Yes, well, she's had the nerve to talk to me that way for the past thirty years since the event. It's actually part of the reason it's been so long since I've been to this place." Cas said, taking a moment to drink in the sights and smells again. Being in this place felt wonderful. "I didn't want to see her."

"If it's been that long, how did you know Mr. Nutters?" Dean asked. Castiel chuckled.

"Well, Gabriel has made several attempts to get me out here. One of them involved riding Mr. Nutters literally into my house. I'm not even sure how he fit through the front door, but since then, he's escaped several times to come and visit. They don't even bother looking for him anymore when he's missing, they know he's gone to me again."

"Dude, that's actually, weirdly... cute." Dean said, smiling at the information. Castiel turned his attention to the races, listening to the announcer make it known that the race was close to starting. He smiled, eyes drifting to the gates where they rattled. The squirrels were certainly anxious to get started.

"You'll want to pay attention to this." Castiel mumbled flatly, intensely focused on the doors.

"Want to focus on wha-" Dean was interrupted by a loud BANG as the doors busted open all at once, the squirrels taking off, their paws scampering across the ground as fast as they could manage.

The roar of the crowd became absolutely defeating. It was exactly like Castiel remembered; he found himself sitting silently still, as always confused by the increase in noise. After all, how could people watch the race if they were screaming so loudly?

He glanced over to see Dean in a similar position, eyes trained on the race. He was silent with Castiel, although he looked ready to jump up and cheer at any second.

Crowley's squirrel was ahead by a few jumps. Gabriel was fast in second, a few other fae lagged behind close enough to still be in the game, still more were so far behind they should just give up like teenagers do with schoolwork.

There were eight of them in all.

Gabriel pulled ahead just a few more centimeters, ' eyes shining with determination as he propelled the two of them forward with astonishing speed. Castiel had unconsciously moved to the edge of his seat, seeing that the race was barely a fourth of the way over. If Gabriel and Mr. Nutters could keep up this trend, they could easily overtake the competition by the last round.

Crowley looked back at Gabriel, and he smiled, a vindictive smile at best. Castiel felt his stomach drop to his feet; squirrel racing relied on an honor code rather than actual rules. Not many had chosen to break that, but there was money on the line for this race, and he wouldn't put anything above the slimy bastard. Then, he remembered.

_Meg_ had done something for him. Meg, who was the most vindictive and manipulative person he'd ever met. Meg, who despite her flaws, was also incredibly intelligent and sinisterly creative. Once he realized this, he was _certain_ that there was foul play involved.

He immediately assessed his options, the few that there were. He didn't have anything to get Gabriel's attention. He couldn't yell loud enough to be heard over the crowd. Waving his arms frantically sounded physically exhausting (ew, exercise), people would think he cared about the races more than he did, and most importantly, would do absolutely nothing to get his point across.

With all his options crossed out, he decided that sitting and watching things unfold was his only option. He was enraptured and waiting, the seconds seeming to drag into hours as he eagerly awaited the event.

"Crowley is planning something." He told Dean, eyes glued on the race.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, these races don't have rules. They run by honor. I think he's going to try something."

Just as he said this, Crowley pulled out something. It was about the size of a seed, a little bigger than his hand. It was green, and looked to be a leaf from this distance.

He threw it back at Gabriel, and Gabriel didn't have time to stop. It exploded all over him, orange substance going out and getting all over every surface. stopped, his hands working furiously at his eyes as two other squirrels passed him.

"_It looks like foul play, folks!"_ The announcer said, cheerily. After all, people ate this kind of stuff up. _"Crowley has thrown orange pollen onto his opponent, rendering his squirrel briefly unable to see!"_

Mr. Nutters ran forward, trying his hardest to catch up to his competitors while still covered in the stuff. Castiel felt his temper go through the roof.

"Meg did this," He hissed, growling the words as much as he could to still have them heard. Dean turned to him, confused but eyes still flickering back to the race every couple of seconds.

"How do you know that?" He questioned. Castiel felt himself seethe.

"She works to help pollen distribution. She puts pollen onto bees that stop to help the plants. It's something the fae have done for years, and increases production of fruit by forty percent." He explained, anger only rivaled by his concern and hope.

Gabriel was catching back up again, in just the lick of time. The finishing line was close now.

Crowley turned, arm raised and a sadistic smile on his face as he started to throw another one.

It sailed through the air towards Gabriel, and time itself seemed to slow to a snail's pace as everyone gasped. Gabriel, however, seemed to be prepared. He reached out, the green touching his hand with out being broken. He tossed it forward as hard as he could, and Crowley's eyes grew comically wide as it landed right on top of his squirrel's head.

Centimeters before they would have crossed the finish line, the squirrel stopped, confused and shaking off bright pink pollen. Gabriel passed the finish line seconds later, skittering to a victorious stop.

Crowley's face heated in anger, and he turned to toss a glare towards the other side of the stadium. Castiel would bet anything he owned that he was glaring at Meg.

"WOOHOOOO!" Dean shouted, jumping out of his seat and pumping his fist into the air. Hundreds, if not thousands, of others joined in his enthusiasm, pumping fists and hugging and everything. Castiel stood himself, intending to go and find the gang down in the stables.

He was interrupted by a pair of strong arms spinning him around and wrapping around him, lifting him into the air and spinning.

Dean laughed as he did so, and Castiel felt weightless.

Dean set him down, but didn't remove his arms from around him. Castiel stood perfectly still, too confused and happy to do anything else. Dean's eyes turned soft, as did his smile. "Your friends are the best ever, dude."

"Well, I'd have to agree. After all, they did bring you here." Castiel said, simply. Dean's eyes softened, and suddenly he realized how emotional that sounded. His face was blank, but he could feel the slightest blush creeping up.

A few seconds later and someone nudged Dean, snapping him out of the daze he had been in. He cleared his throat and let his arms drop from around Castiel, looking away.

"I think we should go and find your friends now." Dean said, trying to hide his blush but failing.

They began to walk together, hands slipping seamlessly to grasp each other's wrists. Dean didn't want to put too much thought into it; mainly because if Sam saw this he would totally call Dean a girl and then punch him in the arm, but that didn't mean he didn't _enjoy_ it.

"GUYS!" Balthazar said, as soon as he saw them. Cas could hear some small noises of argument coming from a room, attached to the stables, but he was too caught up in his friends rushing him to scoop them into a group hug to take much note of it.

"Did you see me? I was _totally_ the bomb." Gabriel announced flippantly, smirking and putting his hands on his hips. He couldn't be prouder of him, but he knew if he told that to Gabriel he'd be dealing with the repercussions of it for the rest of his life.

"I'm fairly certain you got _hit_ with a bomb." He said, flatly. Gabriel immediately sobered up, looking off to the side like he was looking into the camera on _The Office._

"Come on guys, we have to celebrate. S'mores at my place?" Balthazar offered, smiling.

"Whoa, you guys have s'mores?" Dean questioned, looking at Cas as if offended this hadn't been mentioned beforehand. Cas just sort of shrugged. He hadn't found it all that important. Dean had very interesting priorities, as far as he was concerned.

"We actually have to get back to the phone tonight and make sure Jo is going to be home on time." Castiel reminded him. A small part of him was also hoping that they would watch a movie together again, because having Dean so close and learning about the human culture was absolutely fascinating to him, in every way possible. It would be a perfect end to a great day.

Suddenly, a door swung open violently, hitting the stable wall with a sickening crack. Out stormed Crowley, not even glancing their way as he strode out, head held high. A few moments later stumbled out the devil herself.

"What are you looking at?" Meg hissed, eyes narrowing at the assembled group. Castiel stood up a little straighter, feeling his wings puff out in a display of both pride and dominance.

"Apparently, a liar and a cheat." He retaliated, feeling a little bit smug with his comeback. Meg's eyes flashed briefly with fury before her emotions settled down a little, and she leaned back, a twisted smile gracing her features as she calculated her next move.

"Don't worry, darling," She purred, the sound of her voice putting the entire group on edge, "That won't be the last trouble I cause for you, if I have any say in things."

With a wink, she was gone. She turned and walked out of there as if she owned the place, hips swaying in a pitiful attempt to be seductive. All Castiel felt was anger, and the knowledge that whatever the hell that meant, it was in no way a warning.

It was a promise.

* * *

Dean was starting to _like_ flying with Castiel. As much as he hated to say it, it was true. Castiel showed impressive strength, never failed to keep Dean steady and safe, and best of all, looked really fucking hot carrying him around like that.

Yeah, Dean could pretty much get used to this.

It made him a little sad, though. He'd like to be able to do something for Castiel like that, and yet, he couldn't just make wings grow out of nowhere. It was a sad thing indeed, that he had to be carried, and got no opportunity to do the carrying.

Well, unless...

Cas set Dean down on top of the end table in the little house off the Roadhouse, and Dean took a few moments to get his balance. As soon as he was certain he could do so without falling down on his face and making a mockery of himself, he scooped Castiel up and sent him a beaming smile, one that touched his eyes.

Cas was unstable for a second, confused and squirming. Soon enough his body locked up and his arms naturally wrapped around Dean's neck, his eyes wide with question and lips formed into an absolutely perfect pout. One that, if allowed, Dean would very much like to kiss away, kiss until they were both entirely breathless and felt high on each other, drinking in everything that the other had to offer, drowning in each other when it got to be too much.

He was certain that he had never felt this way about anyone before, and while it was confusing and didn't make any sense, he accepted it gracefully. There was already so much that was confusing about life, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"What are you doing?" Castiel demanded, after a little while. Dean started to walk, legs wobbling a little, but overall keeping fairly steady.

"You flew me here, I'm returning the favor." He teased, head tilting up to see over Cas's right wing. Castiel got the message and moved his wing downwards, bringing it closer to them. Dean walked the short distance to where they had sat last time and put Cas down, ignoring how Cas's wings were fluffed up and plush now. Okay, so maybe he didn't entirely ignore that part. It looked pretty bad-ass to him.

"Thank you." Cas said, softly. Dean shrugged, smiling.

"Anytime." He offered.

He then went to go and check his phone. Finding there was no problem with his arrangements, he quickly found the next chapter of Star Wars, pressing play.

Cas fell asleep before the movie was over, but Dean was still pretty sure that he'd liked it.


	9. Chapter 9

**There's a two-week break in between this chapter and the next. **

**We made 20 more kudos in between this chapter and the last one! Thank you so much 3 I appreciate it more than I can articulate.**

* * *

Dean woke up slowly, not wanting to move.

He was laying on something hard, back pressed up against something warm, and he felt like he was absolutely in heaven. He twitched, face moving a bit, feeling the ruffle of feathers on his skin.

That was, of course, his first little flag that something was off.

His eyes slowly opened, meeting with wood. He looked down to find beautiful, raven-black wings, looking almost blue in the sunlight. They wrapped around his torso, locking in warm air and making him snug and comfy.

"C...Cas?" Dean asked, a little confused. Cas stirred behind him, feathers shifting closer. The arm that Dean hadn't noticed before tightened around his stomach, pulling him closer. Cas's face nuzzled affectionately into his back, Cas making small sounds of contentment and sleepiness. Dean froze up, taking in a shaky breath.

"Cas, buddy, wake up." He said, a little louder than before. Cas stirred again, and Dean felt some of the warmth leave his back as Cas sat up, removing his hand from around Dean's waist and using it to rub at his swollen eyes.

"What-" He came to all at once, face turning red as he noticed his and Dean's compromising position. "Uh, why are we here? What,... what happened?"

"Well, uh, you fell asleep. And then I fell asleep like four feet from here. I wake up, and bam. Here we are." Dean explained, watching the expression on Cas's face carefully. Cas's cheeks got the _slightest _red tint, but he didn't say anything. He grumbled a little bit before standing up, leaving Dean cold.

Cas's feathers may have gotten in the way sometimes, but now he missed them dearly. They were warm and inviting, and so soft against his skin.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he sort of wished he hadn't woken Cas up so soon. Cas wouldn't have minded if he just let him sleep a little longer, feeling his feathers against his skin, would he? Yeah, he didn't think so. It would have been fine.

"We should probably get going soon." Castiel said, the noise interrupting Dean's daydreams. Dean nodded his head, standing up. He felt sweaty and a little bit gross in these clothes, and Cas's weird bathtub thing was actually pretty fun to use. He'd like to go and get a quick, weird, pour-water-over-his-head-with-a-big-ass-cup shower, if possible.

"Yeah, yeah we should." Dean said. His words were accented by his stomach letting out a long, _loud_ growl, tumbling and twisting painfully. He looked down in surprise. Damn, how had he not noticed he was so _hungry_? "Actually, let's go _now_."

Cas gave a chuckle, nodding his head. "Come on." He said, extending a hand. Dean hesitated for a second before he took it, heart skipping a beat as Cas lead that hand to rest on the back of his neck, then scooped him up into his arms.

"I hope you do realize that either Balthazar or Gabriel will be waiting for us to try and drag us somewhere once we get home." Castiel said. Dean felt a little tingly at the use of the word "home" so casually. Because, more than anything, he would love to be able to call Cas's home his own. Or the other way around.

This last week had been the most exciting adventure of his life, and he'd love to keep that feeling going.

The phone would have to do, though. He'd get one and set it up here, always on charge, so he could talk to Cas whenever. Maybe they could even skype?

"Well, they're gonna have to wait until I've bathed and eaten. And you've done whatever the hell you're going to do." Dean said, trying not to come across as too grumpy. Honestly though, he couldn't really help it. He wanted to spend a day alone with Cas again, like they had when they had baked.

"Well, I'll make sure we're home early, anyhow. This week has been more activity than I've had in the last two years combined, and I need a break from being in public." Castiel grumbled. Dean felt a warm smile come across his face, affection leaking through his very pores.

Very manly affection, of course. Very manly indeed.

* * *

A couple of hours later, (Balthazar and Gabriel locked outside to prevent any unwanted dragging off to do god only knows what) Dean was both sated and clean. Cas emerged from the bathroom, hair still dripping, and plopped down on the couch, reaching for a book. Dean had been sketching on a stray leaf, a car coming to life. His baby, of course.

A couple of minutes of silence went by, peaceful. The air felt undisturbed, and despite the lack of communication, it didn't feel awkward. On the contrary, sitting in silence was rather comfortable for the two of them.

Suddenly, there was a loud rap on the door. Castiel glanced up over his book, eyebrows raising as he looked at it. "Gabriel, if this is you pretending to deliver food again, I'm going to kick your ass."

A couple seconds of silence later, a female voice came through the door. "Castiel! Come on. You've not shown the human my lab in action yet, and everyone wants to meet him!"

It was... Anna? Dean's head raised up in excitement. He'd seen the lab briefly when Anna had stopped to get her swimsuit, but actually getting to stop and see how everything worked sounded both cool and fun. He sort of wanted to spend the day with Cas, but... Who said he couldn't do both?

"How long will we be gone?" Cas asked, almost as if reading Dean's mind.

"As long as you want to! But the basics will only take an hour and a half or so. Now hurry up, everyone took bets on whether or not Dean is _actually_ as hot as the rumors say." Anna said, the second half of her spiel turning teasing. Dean felt a blush rise to his cheeks and he let out a loud groan.

"If anyone hits on me, I'm going to leave." He teased. He could practically hear Anna's smile from outside of the door.

"Alright, whatever. Are you two clowns ready?"

* * *

Castiel walked beside Anna and Dean quietly. The two seemed to enjoy a little bit of witty banter, and he wasn't about to stop them from it. They were having a good time teasing around, hitting each other. Occasionally hitting Castiel.

"Alright, we're here!" Anna announced, once they had made it to the facility. Dean's eyes sparked with curiosity and Castiel smiled, actually looking forward to getting to see Dean's reactions to everything.

He wondered if Dean would like the serum that made flowers change colors. The first time he had seen it, he'd absolutely loved the thing.

"Dude, awesome. Let's get started." Dean announced, rubbing his hands together.

Anna motioned for them to follow her as she flounced forward, throwing open the door and looking back over her shoulder, waiting for them to come on in.

Castiel followed closely behind Dean, looking around at everything. Sure, he'd already seen most of it, but it never got old to be in that laboratory.

He could still remember when Balthazar and Gabriel snuck in, about twenty five years back, and ended up spilling vials all over the place. One of them was, of course, the serum that changed Balthazar's wing color. They had been pure white before that. The other one was a love potion. Since Gabriel actually drank it, he suffered the consequences of being in love with Balthazar for a week.

"_It was pink! I thought it would be bubblegum flavored!"_ He'd defended. Castiel had watched all of it go down in amusement, watching as Gabriel attempted to woo Balthazar again and again. But, they really were_ just_ friends, and Balthazar had done everything in his power in that week to keep it that way.

Honestly though, seeing them interact was sort of adorable.

"So, this is the ice room," Anna said, gesturing toward it. Castiel let a small, involuntary shudder go through him. He'd gotten locked in the ice room for two hours with the temperature set on 32. He never did forgive Balthazar and Gabriel. He was sick for a week afterwards.

"I'm not going in there." He said, firmly. Anna let out a small laugh, shrugging.

She leaned over and informed Dean, "We almost had a Cas-sickle in an incident a few years back."

"How are all of you still alive?" Dean questioned out loud. Anna let out another laugh, leading him through and into the room.

"So, this is the place we take things to flash freeze anything that needs frozen so that we can move on to the next process." He heard her explain, voice getting quieter as the door shut.

Castiel looked around. There were four or five people milling around, mumbling things like "He's got the jawline of a God" and "I honestly cannot believe Anna wasn't exaggerating", few of them actually capable of moving on with their lives and doing their work.

He looked around for somewhere to sit, legs tired from the walk here. He quickly located a stool, next to some potions and brews that he didn't know the names of. He sat down and looked around, letting his thoughts wander as he looked around the room.

A small, scuttling noise diverted his attention. It was seemingly insignificant, accompanied by the vague ringing of a bell. Suddenly, a loud noise, right in his ear.

"MEOW!" Demanded Snowball. Castiel turned sharply in surprise, eyes widening to an almost comical level. The cat let out the yowl again, rubbing itself up against Castiel and purring loudly, a clear indication of what it wanted.

Castiel raised his hand, running it softly along the cat's back. The cat arched into the touch, immediately leaning forward to rub it's face along Castiel's jawline. It's purring increased, and it scent marked all over every surface it could reach at the moment. Castiel allowed it to happen, increasing the speed and strength of his pets.

"You're a very... pretty... feline?" Castiel said, half-heartedly trying to intimidate the cooing he'd heard Anna do to Snowball earlier. The cat seemed to like it, meowing loudly again and enthusiastically butting her head against his hand.

"She's pretty, but a nuisance." One of the other workers said. He had purple wings, much like Meg's, but a shade lighter. "Don't let Anna know I said that, though. She's constantly knocking things off shelves. She knocked some acid off about a week ago, and we're pretty sure it's still steadily eating it's way to the center of the earth." He teased.

"Aaah, I see. So she's a trouble maker." Castiel said, still scruffing under the cat's chin anyways. He squinted at it when it meowed again; what could it possibly want that he wasn't giving to it?

"She definitely is." He confirmed, smiling. He was rapidly working on whatever he was doing, beaker heating up over a fire. He was concentrating on it for the most part, but would occasionally glance up to see Castiel and the cat, as if checking to make sure she hadn't broken anything yet.

"I hope you two aren't talking about me!" Anna's voice drifted through the room as she came in, Dean in tote behind her. Dean had a big, dopey grin on his face, and Castiel couldn't help the feeling that all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

He froze as Dean's eyes met his, a warm smile stretching across his face. Dean's eyes were like a forest; he could get lost in them, look around them for days and always feel like he was seeing new things. He looked into them and it suddenly felt like there were flowers blooming in his soul. His chest felt warm, and his legs suddenly felt-

Wait, his legs suddenly felt _wet_?

He looked down to see a vial in his lap, purple liquid pouring out of it and onto the bare skin below his skirt. He immediately uprighted it, feeling a little bit panicked. He liked the way he looked now very much, thank you, and really fucking hoped nothing changed because of this. Stupid, damned cat.

"Oh my god!" Anna said, rushing around him busily. "What were you looking at when this happened?"

"Dean, why?" He questioned. Anna paused briefly before tossing him a towel.

"Don't worry, it's nothing harmful. Just please dry off a little bit and come meet us outside, okay? There isn't a lot I can tell you. Classified, you know." She said. Castiel felt relieved.

Anna would tell him if anything scary or weird was going to happen. The potion was most likely just one of the company's harmless ones, made to bring in revenue rather than to actually change a person. A talent that, of course, could be useful for spies in time of war.

Not that they were expecting a time of war. The fae were still a generally peaceful people. But they still took every precaution to make sure they weren't ever in danger of being unprepared.

"Okay, I trust you." Castiel said, nodding at Anna. Anna smiled.

"Awesome. See you in a bit." She said, grabbing Dean's arm and leading him out the door.

* * *

"We need to talk." Anna hissed at Dean. Dean yanked his arm out of her grasp, rubbing it. Damn, that girl had a grip.

"What is it?" He demanded, still rubbing his arm. Anna rolled her eyes, and Dean gave her his best impression of Sam's bitchface.

"You saw that potion Cas had spilled all over him, right?" She questioned. Dean nodded his head. Despite apparently popular belief, he was not, in fact, an idiot. He payed attention when there was yelling and towels being thrown at people's legs. He could distinguish when something was an emergency and paid attention accordingly.

"Yeah." He said, after a little while, because Anna obviously wasn't going to let him get by with just implying it.

"Well, it's a love potion." She said, raising her eyebrows. Dean suddenly felt like he'd been smacked in the face. "And Cas doesn't know it. I have to tell you because for the next twenty minutes if he tries to do anything stupid, you need to know that it's not really him and you need to fight it off."

"Of course. Um, only twenty minutes?" Dean questioned.

Suddenly, he was fantasizing. Cas holding his hand, Cas leaning in for a quick peck, Cas's lips kis-swollen and hair tousled from Dean running his fingers through it again and again and again when that quick peck turned into a hot makeout session, Cas's wings wrapping around him-

He forced himself out of his fantasy, knowing that that couldn't happen. Cas wasn't really Cas right now, and Dean wasn't an asshole, so he was going to do his damn best to respect that.

"Yes, only twenty minutes. Thankfully, what fell on him was a different type of potion. It isn't very strong. Actually, it won't even take effect at all if-" She cut herself off, blushing a little. She looked down at the ground as if a little ashamed of herself.

"If what?" Dean asked, curiosity now burning inside of him. Oh, he _had_ to know this one.

"It may be overstepping my boundaries, but I think Cas likes you. I mean _likes_ likes you, too." Anna said, finally looking up at Dean. The sincerity in her eyes shocked him, and he felt a small hope begin to build up in his chest. "We'll find out now. If he does have a crush on you, the serum won't take effect. So, basically, if he doesn't come out and immediately try to jump you, we'll know."

"Wait," Dean said, almost refusing to believe anything could come to him this easily, "What if things work differently for him because he's demisexual? What if he won't want to. Y'know. Because we don't know each other well enough, and the potion doesn't take effect because of that?"

"Well, I highly doubt-" Anna was interrupted by the door opening, Cas peeking out before awkwardly shuffling outside. "I highly doubt you wouldn't be interested in seeing it! Come on, Dean, let's go look at it!"

Dean found his arm grasped again. Castiel gave him a small, sympathetic smile as he was dragged away by Anna in a whirl of red hair and determination.

* * *

Dean had to admit, it was pretty cool.

A couple of minutes later and here he was, standing in between Cas and Anna, looking up in a mixture of wonder and excitement at the large flower. It slowly and deliberately changed colors, from red to orange to yellow and so on, before looping back to red again.

"This is so cool." Dean said, walking forward and touching it. Turning back, he said, "How come the humans don't ever see anything like this?"

"Well, there are a variety of factors." Anna announced. Dean stopped listening after that, focusing on the smooth of the petal as it caressed his skin. If he thought flower petals were soft when he was a human, he had no clue what soft really was. He was tempted to just bury his entire face in the damned thing and drink up the soft feeling of the petals against his skin.

"You know, Dean, you should really consider being a model." Said a foreign voice, from beside him. He turned, letting the flower slip out of his hands. It was a girl, tall, redheaded, looked like she had a stick up her ass.

"Naomi?" Anna demanded, her voice getting a little bit higher. "I didn't know inspection was today."

"One must always be ready for an inspection, Anna." She said, primly, a small and most likely forced smile flashing across her face. Dean decided then and there that he _really_ hated her. "Now, are you going to show me around this place, or are you busy squandering your time with these two?"

"Of course, just, um..." Dean could tell that Anna was a little hesitant to leave, but she failed to make up an excuse to drag Cas and Dean along. Dean knew how she felt; he wouldn't want to leave his friend alone with a person he'd just met a week ago if they were under the influence of a love potion,either.

"I've got this." He said, looking into Anna's eyes. He tried to convey all of his honesty in the hopes that it would relax her some, knowing that he wouldn't do anything to hurt Cas. She seemed to get the message, because she visibly relaxed.

"Thank you." She said, her tone conveying just how much of a caring friend she really was.

"You got it." Dean said, flashing her a genuine smile. She straightened up and addressed Naomi, leading her away, throwing one last glance at the two of them over her shoulder before she walked out, showing Naomi around.

"So, what now?" Dean asked Cas, once she was gone. He wasn't sure what else there was to do other than wait. Apparently, Cas had the same idea.

"Let's lay down in the grass and wait." He said, plopping himself down. He slowly reclined so that he was lying down, the long blades smooshed underneath his weight. His wings spread out and fluffed up a bit, so he looked like a plant absorbing some much-needed sunlight, and his eyes sparkled happily as he looked up at Dean.

"Okay then." Dean confirmed, laying down beside him. He leaned back onto Castiel's wing slowly, mindful of what he was doing, trying not to hurt him. Castiel briefly tensed up, his face turning the slightest shade of red, and cleared his throat.

"That's... The..." He started. Dean looked over in surprise.

"What?" He asked, sort of happy to see Cas a little flustered. He was cuter when he looked like that; a little bit confused, so serious...

"Nothing. The sky is beautiful." Castiel commented, gesturing towards the expansive and ever widening blue. Dean smiled and redirected his attention to there, too. Cas was right. The sky was especially pretty that day. Of course, it paled in comparison to the practical _angel_ beside him.

"Hey, that one looks like a cat." Dean said, pointing towards a cloud on his right. It was a little bit deformed, but he could still see it. He wondered briefly if Cas would get that this was almost a movie moment; a cliché romance scene waiting to take hold of the two of them.

Not that Dean would let it. Cas was still under the influence, after all.

"That one looks like millions of water molecules preforming as a vaper in the sky." Castiel retorted, pointing toward a cloud right above them. Dean laughed a little bit, lifting one of his hands to shield his eyes, pretending to carefully scrutinize the cloud.

"You know, Cas, you just might be right." He said sarcastically, in retaliation. Castiel laughed a little bit, his chuckle causing his feathers to shift under Dean. He made a small noise, but cut it off with a clearing of his throat.

"I know I'm right. I also know that you're an asshole." He teased. Dean let out a sigh, nodding his head, pretending again to reflect upon Cas's words. Really he was just taking the time to come up with a good comeback. He couldn't be dishing out weak ass retorts if he wanted to impress Cas.

"Of course, but you love it." He said, closing his eyes. Castiel didn't respond to that, simply humming in response.

Dean let his mind wander a bit, and he was back to the 'what if Cas liked me' fantasies quicker than he would have anticipated. This time, he let his mind linger a little bit, the seed of hope that had been planted earlier watered by the fact that, as Anna said, Cas wasn't jumping him yet. In fact, he wasn't acting any different from normal.

The thought was comforting, and left things to be imagined.

It wasn't long until Dean found himself drifting off to sleep, eyes shutting and mouth lazily falling slack as he let the sun warm him. Cas was close by and comfortable, it was still comfortable and cool where he lay in the grass, and everything seemed pretty damn close to perfect.

A long time passed that way, just him and Cas and the sun.

He'd be pushed to say that he wouldn't have it any other way, in fact.

Until, of course, Anna marched back out.

"What the hell do you think you're- Oh. You two are just. Sleeping." She said, face slowly beginning to heat up. Dean felt his eye crack open and his vision quickly adjusted to see Anna towering over him and Castiel, hands on her hips.

"What did you think we were doing?" Castiel asked, confusion clear in his voice. That was Dean's cue to get up, dust off his pants, and try to start a new subject.

Of course, he didn't actually have to.

"I- Nothing! I just. I need to go and talk to Dean now, I'll see you soon!" Anna said, grabbing Dean for the third time that day. He swore he was going to have bruises on his arms in the shape of Anna's fingers by tomorrow morning.

"What the hell?" He demanded, waving his arms around in the air. Anna didn't look amused, putting her hands on her hips and cocking an eyebrow.

"I know you don't know this, but touching a fae's wings like that is incredibly intimate. Cas was probably hard that entire time." She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "And, the potion would have worn off forty minutes ago. He was letting you do that because he _likes_ you, and there is _no other explanation_." She announced.

Dean couldn't let himself keep hoping like this. Things were never this good in his life, and this situation would be no exception to that general rule.

"You need to calm down and reevaluate yourself, alright? Cas doesn't like me. He probably just did that because of the potion and then felt too awkward to move me afterwards. That, or he just didn't get hard because we're _just friends_ and he isn't in to that."

"You're literally blind. Have you not seen the way you look at each other? And don't even try to deny your obvious crush on him, it's clear as day." Anna shot back. Dean stood up a little taller.

"Listen, things don't work like that for me, okay." He said. Anna's eyes started to turn sympathetic, and he couldn't handle it. He turned and shouted, "Cas, we have to leave!"

"You know what? Just, you wait. You'll see soon and you'll thank me for opening your eyes. The love potion has worn off by now, you have my guarantee." She said, then proceeded to stalk into the laboratory. Dean watched her go, still feeling a little bit moody about the whole thing.

Cas showed up a few seconds later, little bits of grass in his hair making it stick up adorably in places. "Why are we going back?"

* * *

Castiel looked at Dean, the room a little bit dim. Dean sat on the couch with his head in his hands, looking both frustrated and a little tired. He immediately wished that there was something he could do to help, but knew that whatever this was, he couldn't offer advice.

"Dean?" He questioned, just to make sure he was okay. Castiel walked over when he didn't respond, hesitating for a moment before he dropped into the couch beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. Dean looked up, looking a little torn.

"Yeah? What?" He questioned. He looked tired, but not necessarily upset. Castiel assumed that was a good sign.

"Are you... Okay?" He questioned, hoping that the question wouldn't upset Dean.

"I... Yeah, Cas, I'm okay. Just a little confused." Dean said, his eyes meeting Cas's. Cas nodded his head a little, trying to tell himself that this was normal, humans just got like that sometimes. He had no reason to be worried; Dean wasn't wailing, he was just a little under the weather. That's normal.

"Okay. If you need to talk, I'll be here." Cas said, a little confused.

Dean seemed to cheer up a little as time went on, or at least he stopped acting so upset. He cheered up a little, joked a little, and Cas felt better about the whole situation.

He went to bed that night, while still confused about what had happened, satisfied with the results.

* * *

Castiel felt as though sand had been poured down his throat. He gave a small groan before he forced his feet over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes in hopes of seeing better in the dim house. He stalked out to the living room, relying on feeling alone to guide him to the kitchen.

He should paint those damn glow rocks soon.

He tried to keep his footsteps light so that the wooden floors wouldn't creak and wake up Dean. He knew that the other was tired as heck, and didn't want to disturb. In fact, Dean had actually fallen asleep on the couch before he himself had headed off to bed.

He retrieved a glass and filled it with cool, fresh water from the tree. The feeling of the liquid hitting the back of his throat felt like heaven after forty years of hell; he hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been.

He slowly began to shuffle out to the living room again, thirst quenched. He wasn't honestly feeling all that tired anymore, but figured laying down and trying to go back to sleep couldn't be a _bad_ option. His eyes were glued to the floor as he walked, knowing by heart his route to get to his-

Suddenly, something heavy and large bumped into him. He went sprawling backwards, quickly grabbing onto whatever the hell it was in a vain attempt to keep himself from falling. All he succeeded in doing was pulling whatever it was down with him.

Whatever it was made a small noise of surprise, catching himself on the floor before his entire body weight could fall onto Castiel. Cas found himself staring up into green eyes, their entire bodies pressed against each other, the adrenaline that was pumping through his system slowly beginning to calm itself.

"Dean?" He questioned. Dean let out a breathy chuckle, dropping his head down. It rested softly on Cas's neck, and immediately ignited a slow burn in Cas.

Oh _no_.

"Cas. Dude, I didn't see you there." Dean mumbled, practically speaking against his neck. Castiel felt himself begin to harden, his cock elongating and pressing up through his thin kilt.

Dean froze, and Cas knew he could feel it.

* * *

It was sort of nice, being pressed up against Cas like this. It put thoughts of kisses and hickeys and sleeping close even on warm summer days into Dean's head. Cas's skin was soft, and Dean could see how nice he looked in the low light that the glowing rocks around his home still provided. It was kind of nice.

He gave a small chuckle. "Cas. Dude, I didn't see you there."

Cas made a small sound, almost like a surprised noise. Dean felt something begin to push up against his leg, warm and _hard. _It didn't take long for him to figure out what it was.

"Cas, are you..." Dean started, unable to believe this. If Cas was _aroused_ by this, did that mean...

Did that mean he _liked_ Dean after all?

He finished, "Are you _hard?_"

* * *

**I am sorry for the EXTREME cliffhanger here. It's gonna be worth it, I promise. Please comment!**


	10. Chapter 10

Dean honestly, literally, could not believe it.

Of course, a couple of seconds later he realized that this had to be really uncomfortable for Cas, and immediately scrambled to climb off of him and stand up. Castiel sat frozen the entire time, and Dean was pretty sure he could see that his face was red in the low light.

"I, uh, really needed to get those rocks repainted so I could see better." Cas mumbled, completely ignoring the question. He stood, avoiding Dean's eyes the entire time. "I, I think I should go back to my bedroom now."

"Cas, wait!" Dean said, heart practically jumping out of his chest with alarm as Cas began to move, his target clear: get away from the situation. But Dean knew that if he didn't find out now, he would talk himself out of mentioning anything by the morning and the time to find out may never come.

Dean's hand wrapped around Castiel's arm, stopping him from walking away.

"What is it?" Castiel asked, calmly. He was still refusing to meet Dean's eyes.

"Do you like me?" Dean blurted, before he could lose his nerve. Cas turned to him, head tilting a little in confusion. Dean knew he had to elaborate; Cas didn't understand metaphors well. "I mean like, in a romance sort of way. Did I just...?" He gestured vaguely to Cas's body.

"That's..." Cas looked panicked, and Dean knew that he had his answer.

"You do, don't you?" He demanded, an odd mixture of happiness, relief, and frustration at his inability to distinguish that before now started to brew in his stomach. He let out a long sigh, trying to get up courage to do what came next.

He moved one of his hands to Castiel's neck, the hand that had been gripping his arm dropping to snake around his waist, pulling him close. His eyes flickered to Cas's lips and stayed there, licking his own in preparation. He looked back up to Cas's wide, lust-blown eyes. He could feel Cas's wings wrap around his back, as if cuckooning them from the rest of the world.

"Cas." He said, leaning forward just a little bit. Cas didn't move, seemingly frozen by the situation. "Can I kiss you?"

Suddenly, their lips were pressed together. It took Dean a moment to piece together that Cas had kissed him , but once he did, he began to enthusiastically respond. His lips pressed back and his body pushed Cas's against the wall, tongue darting out to trace Cas's bottom lip.

Cas let out a small whine, mouth falling open and tongue tentatively meeting Dean's. Dean gave a small growl of pleasure before he began to slowly trace out the inside of Cas's mouth, hungry for his taste. Castiel let out a small noise of approval, his hands fisting in Dean's hair and giving a rough tug. Dean couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so triumphant, or a person had tasted so damn good .

Cas's hips bucked against him, and Dean made a small, comforting noise. Cas's wings flared out, feathers touching the walls. Dean moved his hands from their former positions and buried them in Cas's beautiful, soft feathers, loving it when Cas gasped against his lips.

"Wait!" Cas cried, shoving him off.

Dean backed up immediately, feeling frazzled and confused, but letting Cas take his time.

"Did... Did I go too fast?" Dean asked, for future reference. Well, assuming there would be future reference. Cas did kiss him, but that didn't necessarily mean that he wanted to have a relationship. He could have just been curious, or gotten swept up in the moment, or...

"You're leaving." Cas said, quietly. "You're going to go. I just... I don't know if I want to be physically intimate with someone, the first person I've ever been attracted to, and then have them leave in four days. I... I don't think I can handle that, Dean."

"I.. I'm sorry." Dean said, softly. But he knew that it was true. There were too many people that would come looking for him once he was gone, the fae would never risk exposing themselves to all of his friends just to keep him around, even though he would stay in a heartbeat if he could.

"I know." Cas said, sounding defeated.

"I would stay, if I could. And I'm not saying this because I think it's going to change your mind or anything, but," Dean said, realizing he was blathering on and trailing off a bit before continuing, "I really like you, Cas. And everything about this place. I would stay."

"I..." Castiel looked torn, and his wings folded down against his back, as if finally getting the memo that he wasn't going to have any relations at the moment. "Goodnight, Dean. We'll talk in the morning." Castiel said, sounding defeated. Dean nodded, knowing that there would be no way he could fall asleep again.

"Goodnight, Cas." He said, in a small voice. Cas turned and walked back into his own bedroom, and Dean slowly made his way back to the couch.

Damn. He felt like an idiot.

He closed his eyes, trying not to let everything that had just happened get to him. Cas was his friend, and even if they couldn't be more, that would never change.

He slowly, to his surprise, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Castiel, on the other hand, remained awake. His head was spinning. He had a huge pile of emotions that wouldn't stop chasing each other around and biting each other in the ass.

Of three things he was absolutely certain.

One, Dean Winchester was a vampire. Two, there was a part of him-

Wait, I'm sorry. This fanfiction isn't a piece of shit, we'll get back on track now.

He loved Dean. That, he knew. He knew that Dean loved him back. He knew that, should they get together, he would be happy with Dean. But he wasn't sure if Dean would be able to be happy with him once everything came to pass.

What about two years from now? Sure they could call each other on the phone, but how long before Dean wanted something more? How long before Dean was intent on having the pleasures of the flesh, whether with Castiel or with someone else? The thought of having Dean leave him, knowing that it would most likely happen eventually if they started this, had Cas's throat tightening and his head spinning. He didn't want to think about it.

On the other hand, how long had Cas been thinking so far ahead? This may be his only chance at finding somebody he truly connected with. He couldn't see himself ever falling in love again, not after this, not after the way Dean's hand fit into his perfectly and his laugh made Cas's insides quiver with joy.

Anyone else who Castiel could even begin to like would pale in comparison. He would never feel as strongly about someone as he felt for Dean Winchester, no matter how short their time together had been so far.

Although he wanted to ignore that and say it was a bad idea, he knew that being with Dean was something he wanted to do. Castiel couldn't think of a single person he would rather give his virginity to, nor could he think of a single person that would make it as good for him as Dean would.

Maybe they could just... ignore the time? Maybe they could be together for a little while, without worrying about what would happen when Dean was gone. Maybe these next three days could be Castiel's chance at having a romantic history, and one with a man whom he really and truely loved. Sure it was setting himself up for heartbreak, but he couldn't resist.

It was like buying a pet that wouldn't live as long as you. You know it's going to die, but the pain is worth it for the time it'll be there.

So, Castiel decided. Tomorrow, he would propose that they have a physical relationship while Dean was here, and leave whether or not they'd continue to have an emotional one afterwards up to Dean himself. Castiel just wanted to be able to have him while he still could; that wasn't too much to ask, was it?

He spent the rest of the night awake and musing, not tired at all and generally nervous for his proposition tomorrow.

* * *

Dean sat in the kitchen, watching Castiel make breakfast. His stomach was all twisted up into knots over everything that had happened, and he didn't even want to think about what Cas might be thinking. Maybe he was going to tell Dean to go and stay at Balthazar or Gabriel's house; maybe he thought seeing him after this would be too painful.

Dean could hardly stand the thought. Castiel was his friend , dammit, he didn't want to lose him any sooner than he had to.

"I've come to a conclusion." Cas said, finally, breaking the silence that had hung over the two of them like a thundercloud waiting for the opportunity to pour down. He set a bowl in front of Dean. "Eat."

Dean took a couple of bites, and Castiel sat down across from him, looking a little bit nervous. He had a very small bowl himself, but didn't seem to have much of an appetite.

"So..." Dean said, once they were both finished. Castiel looked down at his hands, which lay folded in front of him at the table. Dean felt like he was ready to explode from the tension and curiosity building up in him.

"I would like to have a deeper relationship with you. Physically." Castiel said, his blue eyes darting up to meet Dean's. Dean felt relief go through him; he wasn't getting kicked out!

"You... Want to kiss again?" He asked, hopefully. Castiel nodded.

"I would like to do more than that. I- I know you have to leave eventually, but I believe that the benefits of having the relationship we both desire now will outweigh the cons of having to break it off. That being said," Castiel paused, taking a breath. "I would like to continue our relationship emotionally for as long as possible after you leave. I don't want to hold you back though, and I understand that there are things I can't offer you here that another partner could."

"What are you saying?" Dean asked, still trying to fight off the rush of "FUCK YES", because this was still serious.

"I'm saying that whether the relationship continues emotionally or not is up to you. I'm open to anything." Castiel informed him, looking down. Dean knew he was waiting for an answer, and it didn't take much time for him to give one.

"Fuck yes, Cas." He said, reaching out to grab the other's hand. "Listen, I know I may never have done anything like this before, and I may be shit at actually making a real relationship work, but I have never cared about anyone as much as I care about you. I want to try and make this work afterwards, as much as I can."

"I would like that." Castiel said, his lip forming up into a half-smile. Dean used his arm to yank him forward as far as possible, leaning over the table himself to give Cas a firm kiss on the lips. He felt a wonderful, warm, blooming feeling begin in his very soul; god, kissing Cas was something that he could get used to.

Cas pulled away after a minute, lips shining and pupils blown despite the light coming in through the small window carved in the tree. He smirked.

"We do have some things to talk about, however. I believe our species' genitalia is slightly different. Is that going to be an issue?"

Dean could remember Cas saying this before, so it didn't come as much of a shock now. Actually, that was something they had to think about. He really hoped that their bodies were compatible...

"Well then, I guess it's time for show and tell. Does that sound good to you?" Dean questioned. Castiel paused, thinking for a second before he soundly nodded his head.

"Do you want to take this into the living room? I should probably lock the door anyways, Gabriel has the bad habit of coming in unannounced..." Castiel mumbled, getting up from the table. Dean followed him into the living room, feeling his cock beginning to rise in interest at the thought of the coming activities.

Castiel locked the door and Dean sat himself down on the couch, palming his erection for a few moments through his jeans. If Cas was ready for a show-and-tell, he was going to give him a show.

Cas turned around, and his eyes trained on Dean, watching what he was doing. He quickly scrambled over to the couch, sitting down beside him, eyes still glued to Dean's hand where it moved against himself. Dean let out a small, choked moan for Castiel's enjoyment.

Castiel rewarded him by tearing his eyes off of Dean's hand and leaning forward to press a slow, hot kiss to his lips. Dean's hand stopped moving in surprise as Cas's tongue tentatively asked for entrance, ever the fast learner that he is.

Somehow, they ended up sprawled across the couch, making out and rutting against each other like teenagers. Dean finally got his head together and pulled away, sitting up and panting. Castiel sat up too, looking at Dean for further instruction.

"Main event." Dean teased, winking at him. His hands struggled down to his pants, his cock now throbbing painfully in it's confines as he slowly struggled to get his button undone and his zipper out.

Finally, he reached into his underwear, leading his cock out into the open air.

Castiel's gaze was absolutely predatory as he took in the sight, looking at everything Dean had to offer with a mixture of lust and curiosity.

"May I?" He questioned, holding out a hand. Dean knew what he was offering, and his dick gave a throb in response, but he forced himself to shake his head.

"Not until you're out, too. I want to see what you look like." Dean said. Although he was pretty sure there could be anything vaguely penis shaped in Cas's pants right now and he wouldn't care.

Cas opened up his skirt-thing, letting the sides of it fall to the couch. He slipped off the thin layer of cloth underneath, agonizingly slowly, and Dean watched with rapt attention as he did so.

It looked close enough to a human penis that Dean knew they would be able to work together, which was a relief. It also, however, had some things that made Dean intrigued.

It was a pale, soft green, like that you find in plants. It stood entirely straight, no curve to it, although a clear fluid was visible to be leaking from the tip. It had no real "head", and was actually a little thinner towards the top, but thicker than the average cock overall. It had bumps on it the size of Dean's finger tips, raised no more than what would have been approximately half a centimeter off of it, by human standards. He was about half an inch shorter than Dean, so probably about six inches long.

"You're beautiful." Dean reassured him. It was going to take some getting used to, but he was looking forward to finding out how Cas's body worked. Even though it was different, it didn't matter to him.

"Thank you. Can I please touch you now?" Castiel asked, stubbornly. Dean chuckled at the impatience in his voice, nodding his head.

Castiel tentatively reached out with his hands, eyes glued to Dean's face as one of them wrapped around the base of his dick.

"There isn't anything I need to know about your anatomy, is there?" Castiel asked, beginning to pump his hand up and down. "Spots to avoid? Sweet spots?"

Dean almost couldn't form a coherent answer. Cas's hand moving like that; at a medium pace, dragging along his skin, setting every cell in his body on fire as he slowly worked Dean over... It was almost maddening.

"The head is sensitive." Dean warned. He was surprised a few moments later by Cas pressing his thumb down gently onto the head, swiping over it and smearing a bead of precum away. Dean responded by letting his hips give a small buck.

"It's so... soft." Castiel purred, his voice literal sex. Dean felt his dick throb in Cas's hand, and his knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping the couch.

He began to rock his hips into Cas's hand, slowly and surely fucking up into his fist, encouraging Cas to move a little faster. His dick felt hot, so hot, swollen and just ready to burst... Dean hadn't gotten much alone time lately, and it had been at least a week since the last time he'd been able to jack off. This combined with what Cas was doing now meant that the feeling was absolutely heavenly.

"How the hell are you so good at this?" Dean demanded, one of his hands moving to clutch at Cas's arm. Cas's brow furrowed in concentration. Dean moaned out as Cas gave a small squeeze. "Fuck, Cas!"

"Would you like me to go faster?" Cas purred. Dean almost said no; finishing so quickly would be embarrassing, but Castiel was damn good at what he was doing and Dean just felt so full...

"God, yes. Please." He said, hips continuing to cant off of the couch. He let out a long moan as Cas sped up, moving his wrist in small twists that had Dean absolutely wrecked. He sped up the pace a little bit more, hand moving up and down up and down up and down, until...

Dean felt a heat pool in his stomach and finally, and, like a rubber band that had finally reached it's breaking point and snapped in two, he came, and came hard.

The pleasure turned his vision white, and he was breathing hard as Cas continued to pump, letting every last drop come out and then some, milking him until Dean was sensitive and soft. Dean let out a long moan of Cas's name as he came, knowing that Cas would love it.

"Did I do something wrong?" Cas eventually asked, looking confusedly down at the mess on his hand. Dean was still high on his post-orgasm hormones, so it took him a little while to form a coherent answer.

"What? No, of course not. That was..." Dean searched for a good adjective, and failed. "That was literally the best orgasm I've had in months."

"It was short, though." Castiel said, looking confused.

"No, that was pretty long as far as orgasms go. Have you... have you never had an orgasm?"

"Well, no, but that's beside the point. I was told orgasms from the lower region tend to last two to three minutes. And the ejaculate is delivered much... slower." Castiel said, looking at the cum cooling on his hand with vague interest. Dean's dick, despite having just emptied itself, twitched as Cas's tongue darted out to lick off a small bit of it.

"From the lower region? One to two minutes?" Dean asked, feeling overwhelmed. "Clearly there are some differences between how our bodies deal with orgasms."

"Oh, right." Cas said, looking satisfied. "So, it was satisfying? I preformed the function correctly?" He questioned, smiling at Dean. Dean nodded his head.

"That was more than satisfying. It was damn amazing." Dean said, his mind then backtracking. "So wait, what did you say about 'lower region' orgasms?"

"Oh, that's right. You wouldn't know; humans don't have wings." Castiel said. "Well, actually, our wings have a sort of orgasm. They produce a yellow, pollen-like substance that we use to impregnate our females with. Our... our 'cocks', as you would put it, serve no actual use other than pleasure."

"Seriously? So you're saying that you can have two different types of orgasms?" Dean asked, getting a little excited. Hell yeah, he wanted to see that.

"Yes, all fae can." He said, giving Dean a small nod. Dean leaned over and connected their lips, the kiss quickly turning heated again as their tongues dueled for dominance. Dean won out easily in lieu of Cas's inexperience, but Cas didn't seem to mind.

"Cas, can I touch your wings?" Dean mumbled against his lips. Cas pulled away, eyes dark, and nodded his head. Dean slowly moved his hands forward, shaking the slightest bit, to move into Cas's feathers.

Cas let out a low groan, his head dropping backwards. Seeing the opportunity, Dean lunged forward, attaching his lips to Cas's neck and leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses along his heated skin. Dean's hands began to move in Cas's feathers, gently going up and down, digging deeper into their soft folds, listening to the small noises Cas made...

Cas's feathers leaned eagerly into Dean's touch, his wings trembling under the treatment. Dean smirked against Cas's skin, loving that he had this effect on the fairy.

"D-Dean..." Cas gasped out, feathers spreading to give him more room to work.

Dean turned to stradle Cas, hands leaving his feathers briefly to find purchase on his shoulders. Castiel let out a small moan at the loss, immediately trying to push his wings back into Dean's hands as he lost the touch. Dean let out a small chuckle, deciding to have some fun with this.

"Cas, do you want me to mark you up? Leave some hickeys on your shoulders so everyone can tell whose hands have been all over you?"

"God yes." Cas breathed out, tilting back his neck again. Dean's hands buried back in his feathers as his lips moved to Cas's neck, biting and sucking and licking all along the expanse of his skin. Cas made little noises the entire time, moans and groans and pants. Dean loved the sounds he made.

"Oh god, Dean." Cas said, moving his neck, stretching it as far as it could go. When Dean was satisfied with his work on one place, he detached his lips and moved a couple of inches down, placing another one there. Along his collar bone, up to his shoulders, fingers working in Cas's feathers the entire time to try and get him as worked up as he possibly could.

"Faster." Cas begged, hips canting upwards and grinding against Dean. Even though it was still too soon for Dean to get hard again, he still loved the attention, and feeling Castiel's achingly hard cock pressed up against his thigh. Cas's hands came to rest against his hips, and Dean let out a smile.

"Do you like this, Cas?" Dean asked, pointedly going just a little faster with his hands. Cas nodded his head and gave an enthusiastic moan of Dean's name, too far gone to really respond with more than that. Dean gave a small, breathy laugh, pressing a kiss to his swollen lips, soft and gentle despite the brutal pace of his hands.

"Do you want to cum? Will you cum for me, Cas?" Dean asked sweetly, whispering the words into Cas's ear.

Suddenly, with a mighty shake, Cas's wings flew out. A soft, yellow powder came from in between the feathers, covering Dean's hands in the soft substance. It kept coming and coming for about twenty seconds, Cas gasping for air and his face twisted into the picture of pleasure the entire time.

As soon as it stopped, Cas's entire body relaxed. He was panting and spent, and Dean's hands were covered in the pollen.

He brushed his hands together, and it floated off like dust.

"Was that okay?" He asked. Castiel nodded his head, still breathing a little uneven. Dean loved to see him so worked up, even still. "Good, because I'm only halfway done."

Before Cas could even react, Dean scooted off of his lap. His knees hit the floor, stinging a little from the impact, but that didn't really matter. No, he was entirely focused on the task before him. Castiel's voice came from above, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna suck you off. Is that okay?" He asked, leaning forward and taking hold of Cas's length.

"I- Yes, that's... I've just... I've heard the first orgasm from your genitals can be very overwhelming. Don't be surprised if I accidentally buck up. I don't want you to choke."

"You act like this is my first time sucking dick." Dean said, rolling his eyes in response. Castiel shrugged and leaned back, allowing Dean to look at everything he had to offer, giving him reign to do whatever he wanted.

"You know, you're allowed to touch me, Cas," Dean said, blushing a little. "I actually really like having my hair pulled when I'm doing shit like this."

Cas listened to the instructions, fingers tentatively carding through Dean's hair as he prepared for what was to come.

Dean leaned forward and slowly licked a stripe up his cock, getting a a feeling for the taste of it. It was perhaps a little cooler than a human's, firmer all the way through, and the added texture was a bonus. It tasted flat-out sweet, like honey.

"Damn, Cas, I could suck you off all day long." Dean purred, giving Cas's cock a generous lick again. Cas made a small noise of approval, apparently on board with the idea. Dean grinned as he took the tip into his mouth, sucking lightly there out of habit more than anything.

It was, apparently, the right thing to do. Castiel let out a long moan, his fingers actually tightening in Dean's hair. He gave a light, encouraging pull, and Dean felt his own interest peak. His dick was apparently back to the place where he could get hard again, because Cas pulling his hair and moaning like that was doing things to him.

Dean took the next couple of inches with ease, slowly beginning to bob his head. His eyes drifted up to watch Cas's muscles bunch and tense as his lips went back and forth, looking up through his eyelashes to meet Cas's smoldering eyes.

Dean tried to take him all the way back and failed, tears coming to his eyes as he choked a little. Cas made a small noise of concern, using his hold on Dean's hair to pull him back. Dean almost resisted, but he let it happen, coughing a little.

"Dude, I'm fine. I just tried to do that the wrong way. I've done it before and I know I can, you just worry about having a good time." He tried to insist. Castiel's resolve wavered, but he didn't loosen his hold.

"Alright, but be careful. I may be getting pleasure from this, but that doesn't mean you have to push yourself." He reminded him. Dean really and honestly appreciated his concern, but he also wanted Cas's dick back in his mouth right the fuck then.

Cas relented and Dean immediately went back to his task, sinking down and taking five inches with ease. He gave himself a little more time to relax before he took the extra inch, slowly sliding down to let Cas's dick hit the back of his throat, until he was right up against Cas.

Dean let out a slow, low moan, sending vibrations up Cas's cock. Cas made the most beautiful, surprised noise, giving Dean's hair a strong tug as he did so. His wings were puffed out in arousal again, and the hickeys peppered across his neck and collar bone gave Dean a nice sight to look at.

A layer of sweat glistened on Cas's skin. Dean continued to work him with everything he had, head bobbing up and down, occasionally stopping to pull off and lick at one specific area.

One thing Cas did have, however, was balls. Dean took the presented opportunity then, reaching up to play with them while he mouthed at Cas's shaft.

Cas was trembling again, muscles tensed as he watched Dean play with him, taking extra care to make sure no part of him was left out. Castiel rewarded him with little tugs of his hair that left Dean getting hard again, as if he were a teenager and this was his first time.

"You're... You look so beautiful." Castiel encouraged, his hips giving a small push without his permission. Dean took it in stride, taking more of him than he had before easily. He smirked a little, or would have, had there not been a dick in his mouth.

Dean sucked harder, increasing the pace of his bobbing. Castiel's dick began to throb in his mouth, sending small spurts of sweet-tasting precum down his throat. Castiel looked like he was just barely clinging onto the edge; his skin shone with sweat, his wings were still covered in pollen, his knuckles white where they clutched Dean's hair and his balls tight...

Dean thought that not even a god himself could make Castiel look any less appetizing than he did in that moment.

Dean gave one final suck that pushed Cas over the edge.

It seemed to go on forever. Cas's hips bucked at a steady rate, essentially fucking Dean's mouth, his hands tightening in Dean's hair and pulling. He kept going, fluid trickling steadily out of his dick and into Dean's mouth, for what felt like forever. The loud moans and shouts of Dean's name were absolutely magnificent, and seeing him practically arching off the couch for so long, pleasure flowing through him, hair tossed and lips swollen and the way his shaft just kept throbbing in Dean's mouth...

Dean came too, untouched, his dick shooting small spurts of cum onto his shirt. He gave a long moan, sending vibrations up Cas's oversensitive cock.

Cas still continued for a good twenty seconds after Dean, eyes closing and body slumping, hands falling out of Dean's hair when he was done. Dean was pretty sure he'd lost a couple of chunks, but it was definitely worth it.

Once he was finally done, Dean chuckled, letting his softening dick fall from his lips.

"How was that?" He asked.

"The most amazing sensation I've experienced in my 150 years of life." Castiel teased, his limbs still jelly.

Dean crawled up on the couch next to him, taking a few moments beforehand to shed his clothes. He wouldn't need them for what was gonna happen next.

He let himself relax for a few moments before grabbing Cas and pulling him up, supporting him a little bit as he forced him to walk.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked, letting out a yawn. Dean smiled, pressing a kiss to his sleepy boyfriend's temple.

"I'm taking you to bed. We could both use a nap." Dean said, feeling tired as fuck from the most sexual activity he'd had in... God only knew how long.

It didn't take long to unceremoniously dump Castiel into his bed, pulling the covers out from under him and then placing them over his arm. Cas immediately grabbed a hold of them and rolled over, hogging them close.

Dean crawled in beside him, snuggling up beside a warm body.

He had a feeling this was gonna be one of his best nights in weeks.

* * *

**Please comment! Tell me how I did. Also, you may be interested in knowing I have started a new story to work on just in my spare time, called "Caged". I personally really like the idea for that fic (Snow-leopard shifters, a/b/o dynamics, there will be a great deal of smut) so if you're interested, check it out!**  
**But yeah. Leave a comment first. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so so sorry that I forgot to update yesterday. In my defense, I woke up at one o'clock to find out that I was late to work because I didn't realize I had to go in. Once I got there, a lady bumped into me and I burned the fuck out of my hand with hot cheese sauce (she was very apologetic) and cried in the office for twenty minutes. When I got home, I took a nap to console myself and then woke up sick with a sore throat and a runny nose. I was generally upset about everything and once I realized I hadn't updated it was already 12 AM, and I decided to just wait until morning. So yeah. This hasn't been edited but I'll get around to doing it eventually.**

* * *

A couple of hours later, they were both woken by Gabriel pounding on the door. He was yelling, voice carrying through and echoing in Cas's ears. He groaned, snuggling up closer to Dean and trying to block out the noise.

"I doubt he's gonna go away." Dean informed him. Castiel briefly considered hitting him with a pillow, but quickly decided it would be too much effort.

"Let me pretend for a few moments." Castiel teased, slowly maneuvering his wings so that he could turn around to face Dean. Dean's eyes shone with affection, and Cas was glad that he'd made the decision to do so. "I'm quite happy where I am."

Dean leaned forward to seal their lips together, slowly and meaningfully kissing Cas with everything he had. His arm came up to wrap around Cas's waist, pulling his body closer. He let Cas take the lead with the kiss this time, loving the feeling of Cas's tongue mapping out his mouth before slowly trailing up the center of the roof, causing Dean's body to shiver.

"Where the fuck did you learn that trick?" He asked, his entire body buzzing. Castiel gave him a lopsided smile.

"Well, I had an excellent teacher. Would highly recommend." He teased back, voice flat. Dean hit him playfully, but before he could respond, he was interrupted by another, stronger pound on the door. He let out a groan, and Castiel simply rolled out of bed, giving a stretch before going to find clothes.

"You have something clean to wear, right?" He asked, knowing that Dean's clothes had gotten dirty earlier when they... er, fornicated.

"Yeah, I do. I'll go put that on and then open the door for the idiot." Dean said, walking out of the bedroom and into the living room. It didn't take long before he was fully dressed, and absolutely dreading opening the door.

"Come on, I know you two are in there! It's twelve o'clock in the morning, Cas is definitely up by now." Gabriel insisted, knocking louder.

Castiel chose that moment to walk out of the bedroom, dressed in clothes almost identical to the ones before. He took a moment to make sure that all the pollen was gone from between his feathers, shaking them out and running his fingers through them briefly.

"I can kill him if you'll hide the body." Dean said, strolling over to the door. He waited until another loud knocking round stared up before he opened the door, and Gabriel's fist punched through open air, almost tipping him off balance.

He stumbled in and looked up at Cas, smiling and straightening himself up, regaining his balance. His pride was, of course, lost long ago. He literally could care less about what other people thought at this point. He knew he was an idiot, but it worked well for him.

"Well hey there-" Gabriel cut off, looking between the two of them for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed, and a hand came on his hips. "I just lost a bet."

"What?" Dean questioned, having too much faith in Gabriel and assuming that that wasn't just gibberish. Gabriel gave an exaggerated sigh and strolled in, looking at the couch closely before turning around and sitting on it. Cas and Dean shared an uneasy glance.

"Sorry, I had to check and make sure this couch was free of 'mysterious fluids'. I had a bet with Anna and Balthazar. I bet you guys wouldn't do it until tomorrow, Anna guessed today, Balthazar guessed yesterday. Assuming by Dean's hair being a wreck still and the smell of pollen," Gabriel paused, looking directly at Cas, "Classy, by the way, you guys did it today."

"That's... None of your business." Castiel said, flatly. Gabriel looked like he'd been offended, head pulling back as if physically pushed.

"Cassie, you have to tell me how Dean is in bed! I'm your best friend! I have to make sure he's up to standard, or else _then_ what?" Gabriel asked, voice making great swoops of over exaggeration. "What will you do when you find out that, in comparison to fae, he's terrible at everything? What will you do then?"

"I highly doubt that." Castiel mumbled. Dean smiled and looped an arm around his shoulder.

"He'd have to deal with it. I'm here to stay now." Dean said, teasing. Gabriel's face turned a little bit sad, and a little bit serious, too.

"Actually, there's a problem with that. Uriel isn't gonna let you stay forever, he hates your guts now." Gabriel pointed out, frowning. "But we can talk to Anna and see what she could do."

"What do you mean?" Castiel questioned. "Talk to Anna? How could she possibly have a way around that?" He asked. Dean could tell that he was getting a little excited at the prospect; the idea that he wouldn't have to leave was appealing to him, too. But he honestly didn't see a good way.

"Well... I'll let her explain it. Do you two want to come to the lab with me?" He offered. "Or do you guys have... er, _other_ plans for the rest of the day?"

"We have other plans, but this is more important." Castiel said, nodding. Dean looked over at him from the side. They had... other plans? Already? Damn, Cas must have been insatiable.

Dean was definitely okay with that. He could totally go for the occasional day of nothing-but-sex, especially when his partner was as fucking hot as Cas. Not to mention; TWO types of orgasms. Right in a row! No waiting required!

He forced his thoughts back on track. There were other things to focus on right now, other, much more important things, that involved clothing and acting like an adult.

Gabriel stood up again, fluffing out his wings in preparation for a flight. He walked over to Cas's door and threw it open to reveal Balthazar, hovering in flight just a few feet away from the small landing pad. His hand was raised as if to knock, and he looked at the three of them for a moment before he slowly allowed it to drop.

"Did I lose the bet?" He asked, looking between Cas and Dean.

Nobody responded. Cas simply turned to scoop Dean up into his arms, and Dean, showing off his high maturity level, tossed Balthazar the middle finger.

It wasn't long before they were on their way, Castiel flying behind Balthazar and Gabriel, who were both trying to outdo each other in dangerous and impractical air tricks. Dean was sure they weren't paying attention, so he decided to address something that had been bothering him a little.

Castiel had looked embarrassed to have Gabriel find out Dean and him had slept together. He'd looked entirely indifferent when Balthazar said something, but Cas was good at hiding things. Dean was a little bit worried that his reactions meant he was embarrassed to be _with_ him. He didn't want to make Castiel uncomfortable in any way...

"Hey, why did you get like that when Gabriel mentioned that we'd... y'know...?" He said, hoping that his answer wasn't going to be anything along the lines of 'I made a mistake'. Because that would be just Dean's luck.

"Like what?" Castiel asked.

"Like, all embarrassed and stuff."

"I wasn't... I wasn't necessarily _embarrassed_." Castiel said, lowering his voice, he looked down for a few moments, gathering his thoughts, while Dean waited with baited breath for his answer. "I was just surprised. I didn't think we were that obvious, and the fact that we were... well, it bothers me a little. I've been trained to be a soldier since I was a child. I've never really shown emotion like I have been around you."

"And that's... A bad thing?" Dean asked. Well, this wasn't exactly a surprise. He knew Cas had essentially been brainwashed into thinking that the only way to be a "good" part of society was to serve, openly, with no qualms. Dean would like to have a word with his parents about putting too much pressure on their kids, but what was done was done.

"Not necessarily. I don't think I've ever cared about anything more than my missions, and it's been confusing to see that change. But I wouldn't say it was a bad thing." Castiel said. "If I had to go back and do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing."

"You wouldn't even kiss me sooner?" Dean questioned. Castiel looked a little confused.

"If I were to go back, theoretically, the situation would be the same and altering anything could upset the balance. Things could have gone badly." Castiel insisted.

"Oh, babe, keep going. Love it when you talk dirty." Dean said, rolling his eyes. Castiel looked even more confused than before.

"Guys! We're getting close! Who's done the most sick flip?" Gabriel shouted back. Of course, Castiel and Dean hadn't really been paying attention.

"Balthazar." They both said, in unison. Literally just to piss Gabriel off.

"I hate you two." Gabriel said, pouting a bit. Balthazar laughed.

* * *

Anna was busy ordering everyone around, her hand waving at the other scientists as they carried beakers to shelves and retrieved cleaning equipment, putting up anything that could be dangerous in the cabinets and wiping down everything with disinfectant. She made loud calls and commands, displaying her affinity for leadership.

"We're here!" Gabriel announced, throwing open the doors. Cas watched with vague interest as the lab assistants and scientists scurried around, carrying everything place to place and making the lab spotless.

"Good to see you!" Anna said, turning and beaming at them.

"Hey, what's with the traveling circus of people in lab coats?" Dean questioned. Anna's head tilted and her eyes met Cas's. He shrugged in response, trying to convey the silent, 'I don't know what that is either, must be a human thing'.

"Well, if you're referring to the chaos, it would be because of a huge, angry lecture one miss Naomi gave me yesterday about the supposed 'disorganization' of my lab. I wouldn't have cared if she hadn't waved the fact that she had my job in the palm of her hand at me." Anna clarified, turning to look at all of her workers. They, of course, shared uneasy glances.

"You know, they threatened to fire the last head of the lab every other week, and he died in that position." One girl put in. "They never really mean it."

"Really?" Anna asked, tilting her head to the side. The girl nodded her head, and Anna let out a big sigh of relief. "Alright, everyone stop cleaning. I'm sorry, I didn't realize things had always been like that for him. I'm gonna get everyone who came in today pizza."

"You're the best, Anna!" A man announced, coming seemingly from out of nowhere and scooping her up into a big hug. Anna teasingly fought against it, smiling like a child the entire time. "Come on, I'll help you carry everything back."

"You all really need to start treating me like your boss." Anna complained. Then, her lip quirked up into a sly grin. "In fact, you go get the pizza."

Anna dug into her purse, concentration creasing her brow as she looked for her wallet. She emerged triumphant, waving it in front of his face briefly before reaching in, getting out a load of their weird fairy coins, and handing it to him for safekeeping.

"But-"

"No buts!" She shut down, immediately. He genuinely looked upset that she wasn't coming, but Dean knew that trick. The boy probably just had a crush on his boss, and he wanted to try and get some time to know her. "I have important things to discuss with my friends here, and you're not a part of it. Therefore, you can go and get double cheese and mushroom pizza for everyone."

He pouted, taking the money and putting it into a small pouch that hung around his hip. Castiel knew it to be a typical wallet, but Dean giggled beside him. Cas looked over and tilted his head in confusion.

"Fanny pack." Dean mumbled to him, gesturing to the small bag. When Castiel didn't understand still, he shrugged and turned back to watch the interaction.

By the time Cas started paying attention again, the boy was out the door and Anna was looking at them expectantly.

"What?" Castiel questioned. Anna rolled her eyes and looked at Balthazar and Gabriel, who apparently knew what she meant.

"You win." They both informed her at the same time. Anna nodded her head, smirking.

"Good. Then my proposition should be good for these two lovebirds." She announced. She proceeded to grab Castiel by the arm and drag him over to a small room, an office with the word "Anna" on the door in serial killer style stickers.

"You guys have stickers?" Dean leaned over and questioned. Castiel chuckled.

"We've seen some human inventions and created our own versions, yes. You all have the remarkable tendency to leave your beer bottles strewn all over the forest, along with their wrappers. We found out the wrappers stuck to the bottle when we broke them to use the glass for other things. The rest is, of course, history."

"You two. Stop talking. This is important." Anna said, fumbling with her keys. She was finally able to get the right one into the lock, and said a small word of thanks to whatever god above was listening. She strolled into her office, waving a hand to ask Dean and Cas to come along with her.

They shared a quick look before shrugging and walking in.

Castiel looked around at the musty wreckage that Anna called an office. Her things were strewn around, possibly dangerous chemicals lay exposed on the top of her desk, a file drawer sat open with what he assumed to be cheese, but could have been poison, sitting on neat plates. He barely found it odd; Anna had always had a very... _creative,_ way of doing things.

"Well, are you gonna tell us, or not?" Dean asked, running his hand along a plant.

"Don't touch that." Anna said. Dean jerked his hand away as the plant gave an audible hiss, his eyes widening and other hand reaching out to grab Castiel's as he backed away slowly. Cas, as much as he didn't like that Dean was afraid, found the fact that he reached for him when he was oddly comforting.

"You should really have a sign on that thing." Dean said. Anna's eyebrows raised.

"And you would have listened?" She asked. Dean hesitated a moment before allowing her the point. She smiled briefly before she continued. "Listen, I think I have an answer to your problems."

"Okay," Dean said, urging her to continue. He and Cas both sat down in the two seats across from Anna's desk at the same time, ready to settle in.

Cas honestly didn't even know how she knew. Was he really that predictable? Was he somehow made of glass, so that people could see right through him? He quickly disregarded his fears, knowing that they were honestly trivial, and that this was important. Anna might just tell him how to stay with Dean.

"Our people's records of humans are severely out-dated." Anna said, as an introduction. She looked at Castiel as she spoke, a certain kind of sadness in her eyes. "We have a lot more to discover, learn, and a lot to benefit from learning about their technology."

"Dean can't stay here and teach us, that's already been established." Castiel said, his stomach sinking. He was trying not to get his hopes up.

"I know, let me finish." Anna said, sounding annoyed. "Well, there's another way that we can get that information. Dean's small right now, but what if someone, say, Cas, were to get on his level?"

"What do you mean by that?" Castiel asked. Anna looked torn.

"I- I want you to be happy, even if it means I'll miss you. This last week with Dean has been the happiest I've ever seen you, Castiel.

"What are you getting at?" Dean demanded, excitement clear in his voice. Castiel wanted Anna to jump to the point; clearly Dean was further along in getting what she was talking about than he was.

"Well, you two may want to consider you going to live with Dean." Anna said, addressing Castiel directly. Cas sat there, staring at her. Not quite letting her words sink in. "I've made a serum that could grow Castiel to his approximate size in comparison to Dean as a human. His wings would be a problem, but I believe I could put together a clothing option that would be an easy solution to that-"

"Wait." Castiel said, her words finally clicking. "You're suggesting that I go and live with Dean?"

"Well, yeah. That's what I said." Anna said, looking concerned. "I mean, you _do_ want to stay with him, right?"

"Yes, but..." Castiel paused. The clan, his people, this was all he'd ever known. This was his everything right now, his reason for getting up in the morning and going to sleep at night. He'd dropped almost all of his other wants in pursuit of what was best for the clan, including his interest in humans. Of course, the fly swatter incident made that worse, but... "I'll have to think about the ramifications of going."

"Castiel." Anna said, her tone almost pleading. "You don't have much time to think. I'm not going to try the serum out on Snowbell and put her in danger unless you want to go. You need to really think on this, because if we have any chance of convincing Uriel, it's at the fairy ball. When he'll be concerned with being able to brag about all we're doing; one of the things to add to his list could be the exploration of the human world. That's two days."

"I know how long it is." He said, sassing. Anna pulled back, making a face at him.

"I'm just trying to help. Don't snap at me. I understand deciding to leave everything would be a big decision, but I'd like to remind you that you could still come back." She said. "You could drive over on weekends, we could shrink you back down to size, and you'd give your reports of the human world to Uriel. You wouldn't be losing contact with us."

"Yes, but I've seen at least one of you almost every day for the last hundred years. My job, my life's work, is already here. I understand Dean makes me happy, but there are other factors to consider here, Anna." He told her, trying not to get too angry. Anna had always been a little more rebellious of the colony; she didn't understand what it was like.

"Listen, if my opinion makes any difference," Dean put in, "I like Cas. I like him a lot. But if he's not sure, let him be not sure. I don't want to push him to do anything he doesn't want to do, and I love you Anna, but you're being pushy."

Anna sat back, looking at Dean with shock. Slowly, she relaxed, nodding her head thoughtfully to herself. "I knew Castiel had picked a good one. I- I'm glad you two are happy."

Cas felt a surge of affection for Dean. He looked over at his human; sandy blond hair, freckles, green eyes and smile lines already. Sure, he could hate himself sometimes, but overall he was overflowing with love for the world. He had a kind of beauty- a beauty only attained through loss and gain and loss again, that Cas never, _ever_ wanted to lose.

But that was part of what was going to make his decision so damn hard.

"I'll think about it, Anna." Castiel said, flatly. That was the end of the discussion.

* * *

They got home an hour later, Dean and Cas both having to lean on the doors and physically stop Gabriel and Balthazar from coming inside.

"Come on, guys! We won't stay long!" Balthazar insisted.

"Last time you said that, you ended up staying at my house for two days straight because you somehow ended up with three separate guards chasing you and you were worried if you left you'd get recognized." Castiel reminded him, flashing back to the time with an almost fond level of hatred.

"How the hell did that happen?" Dean questioned, pushing harder on the door. Gabriel yelped and finally pulled his last finger out of the crack, the door slamming shut with finality. Castiel hurried to lock it, trying to put together the story in his head for Dean.

"It was a pretty eventful Tuesday." He concluded, not even bothering to sort through it all. Dean let out a chuckle, looking down at the floor and smiling.

"So, is this going to be a pretty eventful day?" He questioned, suggestively. Castiel's head tilted to the side, but he got it as soon as he felt Dean's hand on his shoulder, gently guiding him to turn around.

"We're gonna leave before we hear anything unsavory." Balthazar put in, from the other side of the door.

They waited a few moments, giving Balthazar and Gabriel time to high tail it the fuck out of there if they so chose.

Castiel turned. Dean's arms came up to frame his shoulders, essentially trapping him against the door. He felt his lips part as he looked between Dean's own lips and his eyes, the anticipation building as Dean came closer, and closer...

"How far do you want to go, Cas?" He asked, his lips just a ghost upon Cas's own. Cas felt a shiver go through his body; being given the control, knowing that he had the final say, had the possibilities racing through his head like mad. They could exchange handjobs, or he could get his mouth on Dean's thick, warm cock, or even...

_Oh, _that sounded like a nice option.

"I want you inside of me." Castiel responded. He could practically _feel_ Dean's arousal spike at the words, and he let his tongue slip out to gently ask for entrance into Dean's mouth. Dean's lips fell open and their tongues met, dancing a wet, warm dance as their bodies pressed against each other.

Dean's hands fell from the wall, coming down to trace up and down Cas's sides. Cas's wings gave a mighty shake, flaring out as much as they could. He pushed Dean a little, and then a little more, trying to lead them towards the bedroom.

They broke apart, Dean panting. "Do... Do you have anything we could use as lube?" He questioned. Castiel thought for a moment before he nodded.

"I have some lotion in my bedroom." He confirmed. Dean smiled a little, reaching to grab Cas's hand before he started dragging him back to the bedroom, like an eager puppy.

Once there, he spun Cas around, easily manhandling him. Castiel actually liked it, contrary to what some may think. Being given a positon, an order, and carrying it out, serving it's purpose... Well, it was what he lived for, really.

Cas spread his legs, wrapping his knees around Dean's hips. Dean connected their lips feverishly, disconnecting them and kissing a trail down Cas's neck, going as far as he could without actually kissing his shoulder.

"You know, I just realized something," Dean mused, pulling away. Castiel let his legs fall off of Dean's hips, despite the fact that his hardened cock was begging for the attention.

"And that would be?" He questioned. Then, he added, "The lotion is sitting on that dresser, a wooden container with a lid that comes unscrewed."

Dean walked over to the dresser, searching briefly before he located it. He unscrewed the lid and took a tentative smell, making the 'not bad' face. "Everyone probably knew we were sleeping together because of all the hickeys I left on your chest."

Castiel paused, eyes widening. Well, at least he wasn't as see-through as he had apparently thought... Plus, he couldn't help but like the hickeys, and what they symbolized.

Dean walked over to the bed again and Cas scooted back, so that he was entirely on the fluffy surface. Dean crawled up onto it, lotion container in one hand and eyes looking hungry as they assessed Castiel. He crawled in between Castiel's legs, running a hand along one of them before he looked up to meet Cas's eyes.

"You sure about this?" He asked, voice husky. Castiel nodded his head yes, spreading his legs farther. Dean leaned up to connect their lips one last time, a quick, emotional kiss.

He sunk down Cas's body, leaving a trail of warm and sloppy kisses across his skin as he went. Cas started to squirm as he got closer and closer to his hardened length, and let out a small noise as he pressed a kiss directly to it.

"Could I suck you while I'm prepping?" Dean questioned. Castiel nodded enthusiastically. He, of course, knew how these things worked, even if he hadn't actually done anything like this before. He was a bit apprehensive of the pain, but knew that this was something he wanted to have with Dean.

Dean slipped his bottoms off, underwear coming along with them. Castiel himself was entirely exposed, and left feeling barren before the still unfairly clothed Dean. Dean seemed to get the message, because he rose up onto his knees and took off his own shirt, revealing pale, smooth skin and _just_ the right amount of pudge on his stomach, with firm, muscular arms. Cas smiled a little; he really was beautiful.

"Ready?" Dean asked, dipping two fingers into the lotion. Somehow, with his body heating up and his brain refusing to function, Cas had missed Dean opening the container. He couldn't find it in him to care.

"Get on with it." He huffed out. Dean smiled.

He leaned down between Cas's legs, using his other hand to guide one of his legs to sit on Dean's shoulder. Dean started immediately giving short, appreciative licks to Cas's cock, making small sounds of approval and looking up at Cas with lust-blown eyes.

A finger probed at his entrance, and Cas tensed up at the foreign feeling. Dean let out small sounds of encouragement, continuing to work on his dick. Castiel slowly felt his muscles begin to relax, and the finger pushed in up to the first knuckle.

Dean sucked the head of his dick into his mouth, bobbing his head up and down in small bobs, taking two or three inches, but never further. The finger was all the way inside now, giving Cas an oddly full feeling that he didn't have before; Dean began to slide the finger in and out, slowly, pace matching the pace with which he was bobbing. It wasn't long before Cas sort of liked it.

Dean added a second finger, the sensation starting to burn a bit, but no less pleseant. Castiel tried harder to relax, which was helped by Dean, who chose that moment to go ahead and swallow him down, deep-throating with ease this time. Cas let out a long moan, throwing his head back. The two fingers started moving at a faster pace, and suddenly, it didn't feel like enough.

His wish for more was fulfilled moments later, Dean slipping a third in and using them to fuck in and out of him. He pressed down, wanting _something_, but uncertain of what. The burning was more noticeable now, but he had no trouble keeping hard thanks to Dean humming and moaning around his dick, still looking up at him occasionally through those beautiful, beautiful green orbs...

Dean hooked his fingers, and they _hit_ something. Castiel cried out, back arching with the sudden rush of pleasure. He forced his body to relax again, muscles unwinding as he fell back into the bed, panting hard. Dean smirked up at him and quirked his fingers again.

"Oh, God, don't stop," Cas requested brokenly. He tried to push down on Dean's fingers again, need and want pulsing through him as he moved. Dean sucked a little harder, bobbed his head a little faster, and fucked his fingers into Cas at the same pace, brushing up against that spot again and again until Cas was a panting, moaning, squirming mess.

"More." Cas choked out, feeling like there wasn't enough air in the world. "I need you, Dean. Please..."

Dean pulled out his fingers, eyes darkened with lust. His self control was at it's limit; he knew Cas was ready, and he wasn't going to make either of them wait any longer.

He grabbed the lotion, getting some more. He slipped off his pants and underwear as fast as he could, almost tripping in his eagerness to get out of his clothes. He climbed back onto the bed like a predator and sat up, rubbing the lotion onto his dick.

Cas watched with hooded eyes, eager to have everything that Dean had to offer.

"Fuck me." He commanded.

"With pleasure." Dean purred.

Dean picked up one of Cas's legs, lifting it over his shoulder and leaning forward, pressing a kiss to Cas's lips before he lined up his cock. As soon as he felt Cas relax, he started to push in.

He slowly slid in, inch by inch, Cas feeling the burn and stretch of being _filled_ as Dean entered him. Finally, after what felt like forever, he was down to the base.

Cas gave himself as long as he could stand to adjust before he shifted his hips. Dean's face contorted in pleasure, and his lust-blown eyes met Cas's.

Dean gave an experimental roll of his hips, pulling out a few inches before pushing back in. It wasn't long before he was thrusting, in and out, in and out, forehead against Cas's as they shared air.

Castiel had never felt so close to another living thing.

Dean was setting his body on fire, claiming every inch for his own, every time his cock brushed his prostate causing Cas to moan or cry out, cock straining against his stomach. Dean adjusted his angle so as to hit Cas's prostate with every thrust, making the pleasure almost too much for Cas to bear.

He needed _more_. He wanted to feel Dean's cum filling him up, wanted himself to cum, untouched, all over his chest. He wanted to cry out Dean's name as he did, grasping at his shoulders like a man who's about to drown grasps at a life raft.

"Faster." Castiel commanded, and Dean listened. His cock was drilling into Cas's prostate now, practically every thrust setting his body on fire. He couldn't handle it, couldn't take any more of the heat that was building in his stomach. It just built and built and built, swirling and gathering until, finally-

Nirvana. His vision turned white and his back arched as he cried out Dean's name over and over again, like a mantra, like a prayer falling from his lips. The pleasure and fire and sensitivity, Dean's cock still brushing against his prostate on every thrust as he worked Cas through his orgasm, his thrusts becoming more and more erratic as they went, as his own orgasm loomed above him.

"God, Cas, so tight," He growled, thrusting still. "So fucking tight, wrapping around my cock so nicely, can't hold on much longer baby."

Finally, Cas felt something warm begin to fill him from the inside, and Dean let out a long groan of his name. Dean kept thrusting as long as he could, until his cock began to soften.

He slipped out just as Cas finished his own orgasm, panting and tired. He looked down at the mess he'd made all over himself, and he smiled.

"That was amazing." He mumbled.

"Tell me about it." Dean retorted, falling onto the bed beside him.

They didn't sleep this time. No, in fact, they started talking.

Their ease of conversation, how much Cas loved talking to Dean even when he didn't want to talk to anyone else, just further solidified what Cas already knew.

He was in love with Dean Winchester.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello there, everyone! I'm super excited for posting this chapter because I'm pretty sure that this fic will go over 200 kudos this time! I didn't get very many comments on the last chapter, though, and if someone would be kind enough to leave some this time, that would be fantastic. **

* * *

The rest of that day was spent in peace.

Dean sat close to Cas, swapping stories and laughing at the top of their lungs as they goofed around. He helped Cas to make dinner, smearing some food onto his face and laughing even harder when Cas immediately turned around and did the same to him.

At the end of the night, Dean walked to the couch. He sat down and stretched, laying back on the fluffy moss and kicking up his feet.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked, tilting his head. Dean felt a small bit of hope begin; he didn't want to be presumptuous and just jump into Cas's bed without his permission, but he'd really like to wake up next to him tomorrow morning.

"Just, getting comfortable. Unless, of course, you _want_ me to sleep somewhere else. Like, I dunno, with you?" He said, phrasing the last as a question. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Get your ass in here." He said, waving Dean over. You didn't have to tell him twice; he jumped up immediately, following Cas into his bedroom and starting to undress, not wanting to end up falling asleep in his clothes.

"You don't mind if I sleep in my boxers, right?" Dean questioned. Castiel smiled the smallest bit.

"As long as you don't mind if I touch."

* * *

The next morning, they were yet again greeted by pounding upon the door.

Dean let out a groan, snuggling further into Cas's magnificent feathers. Cas stirred, giving a deep sigh and rolling out of bed.

His feet padded across the floor slowly but surely, walking to his closet. He got out a pair of pants today, (all of his leaf-kilts were, unfortunately, dirty) and slipped them on. He fixed some of his feathers in an attempt to look decently presentable, but didn't bother with a shirt for then.

He walked out to the door, yanking it open with a small yawn.

"Sir." Castiel said flatly, standing up straight.

Uriel stood outside the door, his posture firm as he leaned in, looking around. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he looked Cas up and down, eyes lingering on his collar bone. Cas felt the urge to blush or cover up the hickeys that stood there, dark and proud.

"Castiel." Uriel addressed, pushing past him and walking into his home, uninvited. Castiel felt immediate panic rise up and eat at his insides.

He looked around, scanning everything and looking as if he approved of nothing. Castiel immediately felt exposed and uncomfortable, but stood silent and straight, refusing to move.

"Hey, Cas, who is-" Dean cut off as he strolled into the living room, mouth falling open. His voice immediately turned to a vague undertone of sarcasm as he said, "Aaah, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Well, _human_," Uriel said, the word rolling off of his tongue as if it were a curse or slur, "I'm here to make sure your education isn't biased. Naomi had a _wonderful_ idea when she saw you admiring that flower that was changing colors. She thought that you may enjoy seeing the application of the technology." He said, smiling a crooked smile.

"I suppose you'll be coming along?" Dean asked, making a face. Uriel smiled, a genuine smile.

"Naturally, of course. As I'm certain the sights Castiel have shown you have been... Well, _personal,_ I think you may benefit from some more socially important places." Uriel said, his tone degrading. Castiel fought off the urge to talk back. He hadn't had any feelings of rebellion this strong in... Well, he honestly couldn't remember.

Honestly, it was none of his damn business what he and Dean did in their time together.

"You know, I have the feeling what Castiel showed me has about ten times more class than your "social places"." Dean mimicked, clearly getting angry. Uriel rolled his eyes, looking away.

"My mind will not be changed. You're both to meet me outside in fifteen minutes." He commanded. Castiel saw Dean's jaw clench, but he didn't argue with the leader. Uriel turned, walking straight out the front door without a glance back. Before he took off to wait for them on the ground, he turned to Castiel. "Do put on a shirt. We can't have rumors about your... _unconventional_ relations going through the colony. It could very well turn us into a laughing stock."

The door shut behind him with a resounding 'click', an air of finality to it. Dean waited a few moments before he let out a frustrated growl, fists clenching.

"God, that guy is _such_ a fucking asshole!" Dean said, turning and immediately beginning a fast pace to work off his energy. Castiel was still trying to get over the sting of his words. "How dare he say something like that to you? I swear to Christ, we should just punch him in the face now and get it over with. We could hide the body in the woods."

"This entire place is woods. We _live_ in the woods." Castiel reminded him.

"Perfect. Exactly. Nobody would ever think to look there." Dean said, clearly fantasizing in graphic detail about all the things they could do to end his life.

"Dean." Cas said, warningly. Although, as much as he wasn't used to bashing Uriel, he was actually having a pretty good time listening to Dean do it. He made some pretty good points, and listening to him talk was making Cas feel a little better. "We can't kill a man for insulting me."

"I beg to differ. It's not because he insulted you. It's because he's an asshole." Dean said, relaxing some. Castiel strolled over to him, looking him in the eyes.

"All we have to do is get through this day. Actually, maybe this is a good thing. We could use today to try and subtly mention the advantages of having more insight into the human world." Castiel said, trying in a vain attempt to keep a positive outlook. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"So, you've decided you're going? You want to come with me?" He asked. Castiel hesitated.

Yes, he'd have to leave his home behind, but... Well, his passion had always been human culture. He would get to be entirely immersed in what the humans thought, the way they acted, the way they felt. To get to live among them, the opportunity, was absolutely priceless. Not to mention the biggest part of why he was considering this, Dean.

However, he didn't want to get Dean's hopes up. If he ended up deciding that he didn't want to, well... he just didn't want to give him any false hope, that's all.

"Maybe. It's never a bad time to try." He said, walking through the living room and into his bedroom. He opened up a drawer and grabbed a shirt, pulling it out and throwing it on over his head. He frowned down at his now-covered hickeys. "I'm going to miss seeing those."

"We'll know that they're there." Dean promised, his voice closer than Castiel would have expected. He turned around to come face to face with Dean.

Dean's face looked... hesitant. His eyes appeared torn as they flickered back and forth between Castiel's own and his lips, and even when he dropped in for a small kiss, he didn't seem entirely there. Castiel knew that something was wrong, and he didn't want to let it go unaddressed.

"What is it?" He asked against Dean's lips. Dean pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Cas, I don't want you to feel like you have to go with me. I like you more than I've ever liked anyone, but it's your life we're talking about here, man. I... I just want you to know that, even if you don't want to go, we can still try to make it work. I'm willing for anything, even if we can't... y'know." Dean said.

Cas knew he wasn't being entirely truthful. Dean would understand, but he would also think that Cas's decision had something to do with _him_. He honestly didn't know if they could make it, if he chose not to go. That was a scary thought.

"I know." Cas said. What he meant was, _I know you'd try._ He took a deep breath and leaned in for another kiss, deeper this time.

"Are we gonna go and meet Uriel, or are you gonna keep kissing me like that?" Dean asked suggestively, smiling against Cas's lips. Cas smiled back.

"I don't believe we have a choice; Uriel would break the door down. He would think you had taken me prisoner." Castiel teased. Okay, so he was teasing, but he was also maybe a little bit serious. Uriel had the tendency to let his hatred of humans get in the way of rational thinking.

"Oh? And what would he do if he got up here and I had you bent over the couch, moaning and writing and pushing back on my cock?"

"I do believe he'd leave." Castiel teased, trying to ignore that scenario. It sounded _very_ appealing right now, but they needed to go, and soon.

"Then we'd have all the time that we needed..." Dean trailed off as Cas gave him a shove, pushing him away. He pretended to be hurt by it, arms up in the air.

"What the hell did I do?" He asked.

"I think you know exactly what you do to me." Castiel purred, smacking Dean's ass as he walked by him. "And exactly why we can't let it get to that point right now. I don't want to walk around half the day with a boner."

* * *

They walked for what felt like forever, Uriel taking his dear sweet time with long and slow steps. Dean tried to slip his hand into Castiel's specifically to bother him, but Castiel gave him a stern look that made it clear he didn't want to antagonize their leader.

Dean sunk back, sulking a little.

Finally, after what felt like forever, they approached a field. A large meadow stretched out before them, filled with flowers. Large flowers, small flowers, some that would even be "regular sized" compared to fairies. Those little blue ones that Dean had always considered weeds before; they were actually beautiful from this size.

"Well, I hope you're ready to experience everything our pollination team does to keep the forest healthy. I'm sure you'll agree that it's both a selfless job and something that you wouldn't want to end up destroyed by the more foolish of your kind." Uriel said, looking over the meadow.

Dean glanced over to Cas, hoping to gauge some kind of a reaction to his words. Unfortunately, he couldn't really judge anything past the fact that Cas was glaring a hole in the back of someone's head.

He followed Castiel's gaze curiously, wondering just who Cas would have as an enemy. He was fairly peaceful as far as Dean could tell, nice, kinda zen-ish. It's actually one of the things that drew Dean to him; Dean butted heads with a lot of people. Cas, despite having a strong will, didn't.

There, standing just in his range of vision, was a pair of large purple wings that he knew well. He felt his stomach do a flip, and hatred rose in his chest.

"Well, are you ready to take the tour?" Uriel questioned, smiling. Everything about him seemed fake, and the fact that being here was making Cas uncomfortable just made Dean hate him more.

"Why not?" He asked, strolling forward. Cas broke out of his trance and followed him, starting his way down the thin path to the actual flowers.

They walked on for a little while, before meeting the edge of the flowers. The grass rose above their heads, but they had clear paths through which to walk. Dean followed closely behind Uriel, taking in the rugged smells of dirt and plant, and the sweet scent of the flowers, stronger than he'd ever smelled it before. Then again, he'd never had a perspective quite like this.

He walked on, a couple of fairies stopping their work briefly to wave a hello to the three of them. Uriel frowned in disapproval, but didn't say anything. They walked on still, through more paths, until Uriel finally took a sharp left. Dean glanced back to make sure that Castiel was okay before following him through the thick grass.

They came to a small opening, three or four fae working together, bending flowers to their will and urging bees to climb onto them.

Dean immediately jumped back, the bees coming as a shock. They were about a third as big as him, with eyes faceted into thousands of small squares. Their stingers looked wicked sharp, and almost as long as his actual hand. He backed up until he was actually leaning against Cas's chest, and Cas pushed him off, looking at him like he was done with his shit.

"You're almost the same size, he doesn't see you as a threat." He said, flatly. "Come on, I'll show you."

Dean watched with a vague sense of amazement as he walked forward, extending a hand to let the bee smell it. When the bee gave a small head nod, Castiel's hand moved down, smoothly running along it's back. The bee let out a contented buzz, seeming to relax into the touch.

"Oh, that's right, Castiel," Uriel said, as if just remembering something, "Weren't you on duty with some honeybees when we had a shortage of workers a few years ago?"

Castiel nodded his head, a small smile coming to his lips, almost like a fond remembrance. "Yes, yes I did. They're actually exceptionally gentle creatures."

"They're still freaky little fuckers." Dean put in, looking at the bee with reserve. He was a little bit curious, (and fucking impressed that Cas could do that) but more than that, he was afraid. He didn't want to get stung or anything, and bees were fucking freaky.

Actually, come to think about it, he was pretty sure Sam was allergic to bees.

"Come on." Castiel urged. His eyes were gentle, and he held out a hand. Dean hesitated, but stepped forward, allowing Castiel's hand to slide into his. Cas took his hand and slowly lowered it down onto the bee.

Had it been anyone else doing this, Dean would have said no. He wasn't even sure _why_ he let Cas do it, but all he knew was that he _trusted_ Castiel. More than anyone else, he trusted him. If Cas were to tell him space aliens were invading and the only way to stop them was to shove a porcupine up his ass, well, he'd probably be really confused and wonder how they got in that situation in the first place, and, where was this analogy going again?

The bee was soft. The little fibers caressed Dean's hand in an almost friendly way, not unlike petting a dog. He smiled a little bit, feeling good for overcoming his fear, no matter how small it was.

Castiel was smiling softly, and Dean found himself staring as his hands ran through the fuzz on the bee. Cas looked up and his eyes met Dean's, turning soft briefly.

"Now, if we can move on to the part where Dean _learns_ something, that would be grand." Uriel said, smiling. Cas and Dean both reluctantly stepped away from the bug, and the bee gave a small, happy buzz in thanks for the attention. Dean decided that he was going to think of them in a different light from that moment on.

"Come on, little guy," Coaxed a fae, who was bending the flower down to the ground. She was wearing what looked like a hand-woven crown of leaves and tiny white flowers. "It's alright. Just take this pollen, and then you can fly over to the lilies on the other side of the meadow. Another one of us is there to help you pollinate the flower, make sure everything gets done." She coaxed, waving a hand.

The bee walked forward, into the flower with ease. It stuck something down in the flower to suck out the nectar, rubbing it's legs together to get more pollen off of the flower.

The bee took off into the air, buzzing happily as it flew away. Dean watched with mild interest.

"So you guys like, run the pollen business?" Dean questioned.

"No. We just help to speed things up. We know where the bees should go to make it the most beneficial it can be." Uriel clarified, watching the bee with mild interest. He smiled a little bit, turning to meet Castiel's eyes.

"Bees work in colonies, you know. Working to put their own wants and feelings aside. None of them work for anything other than the betterment of the queen. They're devoted and loyal soldiers. That's the best, and _only_ way to live in any kind of a colony." He said. He turned around, preparing to lead them to the next task. "Anything otherwise is selfish."

Castiel looked lost. That was the only way Dean could describe what he was seeing. He looked lost and alone, and he was probably scared. Uriel had just thrown something huge at him, entirely unprovoked.

Dean had to resist the urge to punch that sucker right in the face.

He barely resisted, when Cas put an arm on his shoulder. "It's not worth it. You'll blow our chances." He mumbled into his ear. Dean gave a breathy sigh, looking towards the sky.

He didn't know how he did it, but he managed not to strangle the son of a bitch. He continued their walk through the grass, more and more bees flying around above them as they went. Dean watched their patterns with vague interest, if only to get his mind off of how much he hated the person walking in front of him.

"You know, without us, the forest would most likely become overrun by weeds. We cut down the things that have no use in this place." Uriel said, gesturing around. "Without the weeds, the flowers can bloom and blossom. Joshua, our head gardener, makes sure everything has its place."

"What about these little blue things?" Dean asked, gesturing towards them. Uriel shrugged.

"I guarantee you if Joshua didn't want them there or didn't think it was a good idea, they would be eradicated." He assured, proudly. As if destroying things you found useless or inconvenient was anything less than what they shamed the humans for doing.

_Your face is a weed,_ Dean thought, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. Uriel, thankfully, couldn't read his mind to hear his childish retort. Uriel also, however, kept talking and blathering on about how advanced and special their society was, which was honestly boring as fuck.

Finally, they came to the next attraction- A large flower with petals, changing colors in the breeze as it swirled around, looking as if it's movements were an intricate dance. Dean couldn't help but admire this particular flower.

Suddenly, his mood was soured.

Meg stepped out of the grass, a basket of pollen in her hands. She walked forward and grabbed the stem of the flower, pulling it downwards by force. Once it was down, she walked to the tip of it and threw some of it onto the petals, scattering it evenly over them.

"Well, look who it is! If it isn't my angel boy, Clarence." Meg swooned, smiling her best smile. "And Uriel, too. How are things upstairs, big man?"

"Things are pleasant, Meg. Do you think you could finish giving these two the tour for me? I have to be back for an important meeting soon, and you're the only one I'd consider qualified. There's only this left to show them, but I'm already late." Uriel requested. Meg shook her head.

"I can do whatever you'd like me to." She offered, smiling her sweetest smile. It honestly made Dean want to be sick.

"Thank you. I'll remember this in the future." He said. Uriel immediately turned tail and ran, walking back down the path that he came from. Meg's demeanor turned back into her angry, sassy self, the facade of someone you'd actually want to associate with had been dropped in mere seconds.

"Well there, boys, how are we today? I heard you two decided to shack up, or at least that's the rumor around. Everyone in Anna's lab was talking about poor, innocent Castiel's hickeys all over his neck. What do you say, Cas? Wanna show-and-tell, for old time's sake?" She purred, pacing around the flower.

"Tell us what you have to tell us and then let us leave, Meg." Castiel commanded, his wings flaring out dominantly. Meg smirked, rolling her eyes and letting out a dramatic sigh.

"Boys, you guys always have to make sure everyone knows who's boss." She said, turning and looking at the flower. "This thing changes colors. It does that because Anna and her pets made something that helps it do that. We sprinkle various types of pollen on it to attract various types of bees. It's a quick way to encourage... god, what was the word? Genetic diversity? Anywho, it's all super boring and I'm sure everything is better in your _exciting_ human world."

"Go fuck a flower." Dean said, the first thing that came to his mind. "That is sitting, right atop a cactus."

"Awww, well aren't you the charmer? You sure do know how to pick 'em, don't you Cassie?" She questioned, turning towards him. Castiel's jaw tightened, and he adjusted his stance. One of his wings came to sit protectively on Dean's shoulder, and Meg pretended to look sympathetic.

"I'm so sad to see that, Cas. Just as you finally found somebody to love, they've turned out to be a bad decision. After all, he'll be gone in four more days- oh, you didn't know about the ball getting moved back, did you? Oooh, I bet you'll be so excited!"

"What do you mean?" He asked, suddenly interested. Two more days with Dean?

"One of the other fae is having some troubles getting transportation—apparently someone pretty darn top-notch, since they pushed the whole thing back. Apparently since the human is required to be there, Uriel meant to ask, well, _tell_ him, to stay a few more days." Meg announced.

This, this was good. They had more time to-

"By the way, before you go," Meg purred, smiling, "Don't even think about trying to make this little thing work after Dean's gone, okay? I have a few tricks up my sleeve- Cas, it's me or nobody. I'm sorry, but that's just how these things work. You won't get to keep him."

Castiel's wings flared up at that, and he looked ready to attack. Meg let out a long, happy laugh, leaning back against the flower stem and smiling like she owned the world. Her eyes glinted with the kind of malicious intent you'd expect from the devil himself, and Dean almost hated her for it in that moment.

"Don't worry, Dean." She turned to him, a smile on her face. "You'll be obsolete in no time. You'd better go now, before I go ahead and give you that reason to hit me you've been itching for."

Dean almost did it then, but Castiel grabbed his arm.

"She's not worth it, Dean." He said, flatly. Dean shook off the hold, but didn't go for her like he might have before. He took a deep breath and turned around, walking briskly along the path.

With how angry he was and Castiel following hot at his heels, they were out of there in ten minutes. Panting and still angry, Dean leaned against the nearest tree, his head hitting the bark hard.

"I'm not very happy with her." He said, despite the fact that there was no real reason to. It was obvious that he was. "I hope you know that's not true, either. I'll find a damn way to make this thing work. _Nothing_ is gonna keep us apart if I have any say in it."

"I know." Castiel said. Dean took a moment to wonder why he wasn't winded as fuck, but then dismissed it. After all, Castiel was technically a soldier. And Dean had seen his muscles, he certainly had a degree of fitness that he himself would never accomplish. Well, at least, not if he wanted to keep eating apple pie.

He did. He wanted to keep eating apple pie.

"We should go to your house now." Dean suggested, placing a hand on his chest. Slowly, the burn started to fade from there. "I mean, I'm tired as hell, but I'm also hungry. I could help you cook again?"

* * *

Castiel loved it when Dean cooked with him.

With him alone in the kitchen, it was repetitive. Yes, he liked the structure, and yes, it was still enjoyable. However, it lacked a certain kind of finesse that Dean brought into it. A certain kind of rhythm, a feeling, a joy that he supplied by being there. Castiel's motions were no longer trained and robotic; he added a little flare to them, a little dice, he swept around the room in great movements, never afraid to show off.

With Dean cooking with him, it turned a task meant to numb his mind by following simple orders into a fun, enjoyable activity. He didn't feel like he was doing just to do. It became a hobby, rather than something to fill up empty time.

Dean cooking beside him felt _right_ to Castiel, on a deep level. It felt like they were working together to make something great. It felt like they were practicing to make something even better; the domesticity of it all made his head spin with ideas of building up their relationship and making it through the tough times.

Sure, they got a little caught up in kissing, a little absorbed in the heat and softness of each other. Sure, that meant that the fucking goddamned dinner was burned, fucking goddamnit, but still. It tasted nice anyways.

Castiel felt like there wasn't much he could do right without following a script. A very specific script, like a recipe. It showed him what to do, told him exactly how to do it, and left little room to mess up. He always thought of himself as the kind to stick to that script.

Dean came along, and it felt like the two of them looked at the book for a few seconds before shrugging and throwing it in the nearest lake with rocks tied to the cover. Castiel didn't feel like he _had_ to do what that book said anymore. He was a free man; he was just beginning to see what making his own choices could really be.

The decision now, was whether or not to follow that script anyways. Yes, the script was sleeping with the fishes. Yes, nobody would ever find it's dead, soggy body. But the words that that script had contained were still carved into his mind as if carved into his skin by an exact-o knife. He knew what he was supposed to do, and it was oh so tempting to fall into that pattern, to listen to the words.

Because, when it came right down to it, they were carved into his fucking soul. And doing what they said, despite knowing that the words were scars, felt _right_ somehow. Like validating it. Like those were the answers to a test carved into his skin, and all he had to do was write them down and they'd all be right.

But that wasn't how it really was, and he damn knew it.

It felt like being torn in half; one side of him wanted desperately to obey, and the other side of him wanted to do something for himself for once in his life and leave with Dean.

"You look deep in thought over there." Dean teased, still stuffing his face with their dinner. Castiel nodded his head absentmindedly, not wanting to explain, but still unable to change his thought process enough to have a different conversation or pretend everything was fine.

Dean sobered up immediately, which Castiel found surprising, given his track record.

"Talk to me." He questioned, pushing his plate away. Castiel stared dumbly at the object. There was not much that he knew, but one of the things that he did know was that Dean Winchester didn't push away food unless it was damned important.

He looked down. He knew he was going to have to talk now, at least a little bit. He could give Dean a portion of the problem without ending up in a massive discussion on the inner workings of his mind, right?

"I... Just, Uriel got to me today. Some of the things he said sounded just like my father, and I thought again how disappointed he'd be to see me being so selfish. I- You've given me a degree of freedom, Dean, and I can never thank you enough for that." Castiel looked deep into Dean's eyes, emotion clear on his face. "But, unfortunately, it still feels like the collar is on."

"That's... understandable." Dean said, looking down. "I don't want to get too personal here, Cas, but... I think I know how you feel."

Castiel looked at Dean until he looked up, until their eyes met. He begged him with his eyes to continue talking; he could tell that they were getting somewhere.

"I felt like I still had to make my father happy for a long time. I didn't think he'd be okay with me being bi, I didn't think he'd be okay with Sammy going to law school, and doing my own thing tore me apart." He said. He paused, taking a deep breath.

"What helped you?" Castiel questioned.

"Well, it was Sam, actually. He told me that I had to be my own person, reminded me that trying to appease a man who was already dead was useless, and tiring. He told me that dad would never know what I had done after he was gone. He reminded me that life is worth living for yourself." He said. Dean paused, smiling. A small, broken smile.

"I still have problems with it sometimes, you know. I still feel guilty. But I just tell myself that, and I keep going. Because my life is my life, and I can't let a dead man rule it."

"I honestly... I don't know what to say." Castiel said, grasping for words. Dean's speech was beautiful, really. "Other than thank you."

"Well, any time, man." He teased, smacking Cas's shoulder. Castiel smiled as Dean reached for his plate, signifying the end of that talk. "After all, anyone can be a part of Team Free Will if they want to. Just gotta have the guts to do what makes you feel good."

He dug in, moaning at the taste of his food.

Team Free Will, huh? Cas had to admit, he sort of liked the sound of it.

* * *

**Leave a comment if you enjoyed the chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

Seven o'clock rolled around that night, and Gabriel was pounding on the door. Castiel rolled his eyes, putting down his favorite book. He walked over to the door, opening it up.

"We were afraid you had died!" Gabriel gushed, breathing heavily. "I got here earlier today and you weren't here. You never leave the house."

"I had some things to take care of. Are you here for an actual reason, or just to remind me that your very existence is a nuisance?" Castiel questioned. Gabriel put a hand on his heart.

"You know, that hurts, Cas. I thought we had something special. Is it just because you have a new boytoy and now you don't have time for your friends?" Gabriel asked, shooting a fake glare Dean's way. "I always knew that boy was a bad influence."

"Why. Are. You. Here?" Castiel demanded.

He loved Gabriel to death, he really did. But it was seven o'clock at night, and he was hoping that he and Dean could get a little... intimate again, soon. If Gabriel had something to tell him, he would listen, but if he was just insistent upon intruding in his home for no reason Castiel was going to kick him out.

"Well, Anna's having another bonfire out by the lake tonight. Just the five of us. We're going to have skittle-cooked snacks and complain about our bosses. If you're not there, we're going to talk about how terrible you are."

"Gabriel." Castiel warned, looking at him sternly. Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay. Well, are you going to come or not? Last time you were too busy with Dean, but right now I see no reason for you to say-"

"Gabriel. I'll come if I come. You should go ahead and leave." Castiel said, in warning. Gabriel pouted, but turned.

"If you aren't there, I'm going to tell everyone I walked in on you and Dean having sex. And that his penis is small." He threatened. Castiel pushed him the rest of the way out, shutting the door behind him. He gave a deep sigh and turned back to Dean.

"He wouldn't really do that, would he?" Dean questioned, looking a little worried.

"He would, but at this point nobody would believe him." Castiel reassured him, smiling a bit. He walked over and sat down on the coffee table, in front of Dean.

"Well, look at you, disregarding perfectly good furniture." Dean teased. "What a rebel you're turning out to be. Maybe Gabe was right. I am a bad influence."

Castiel leaned forward to seal their lips together in a tender kiss, smiling against Dean's lips.

"Do you want to go, or not? I didn't want to ask you in front of Gabriel and put pressure on you to say yes." Castiel admitted. Dean shrugged.

"I'm cool with it. Really, we should go. As a thank you to Anna, for giving us... Well, more options than we had before." Dean reminded him, looking down. Castiel knew that he was being careful to try and not assume his position on whether or not to go, and he appreciated it. Dean was a good friend.

"I think you're right." Castiel said. He wanted to stay there with Dean, but...

Well, if he was leaving, he should take the opportunity to spend more time with his friends while he could. The bonfire would be a good chance to do that.

Castiel was still torn. Everything seemed like it would be okay if he went, but how could he be sure? He couldn't. And this, this time frame he had for figuring everything out was small, and already closing. He couldn't make a good decision, couldn't be certain it was the right thing to do, with all of this pressure hanging over him. What the hell was he supposed to do?

The extra time given to him by the ball getting pushed back helped a little, but not enough. For a decision like this, he would rather take weeks or even months so that he could carefully flesh out all the possibilities, and make his decision only when he was certain of what was right.

However, that wasn't the way life worked. It was like he was a college student being forced to pick a major within four days. Only this decision would be much harder to change.

"Alright, let's go, then." He said, standing up. He extended a hand to Dean, and Dean took it.

Castiel let the warmth of Dean's hand distract him from his racing thoughts, focusing instead on his friend. He lead Dean over to the door and scooped him up into his arms, ready to fly down to the water.

When he got there, it smelled like salt.

It was odd, because this place wasn't all that close to the ocean. Castiel had seen the ocean, once, on a trip to a fae colony along the shoreline. By all sense, this place shouldn't give him the same calm, serenity that that did, but it does. That lake felt bigger than the ocean at that moment in time; the world began to feel smaller than it was.

He smiled, feeling himself begin to relax.

The fire came into view, tall and flickering orange and blue in the light. Anna had added some chemicals to give it a little more flare; Castiel knew that she really shouldn't be sneaking things like that from the lab, but he didn't tell her so. She already knew it, and she wasn't going to stop.

"Castiel!" She called out, waving to him. He could barely hear her voice over the crackle and roar of the enhanced fire, but somehow he managed to see her through the flame.

He touched down and set Dean down, feeling the warmth radiate against his skin, seeming to seep down to his bones. Anna smiled at him as he came around, running and jumping into his arms.

Castiel stood there awkwardly, not certain of how to respond. He hadn't been expecting such an enthusiastic greeting, especially not from Anna. She was affectionate, but usually a bit more reserved than this. After a few moments, he tentatively hugged back, feeling his affection for his friend grow.

"I have good news for you!" She announced, as soon as she pulled away. "Well, more good news."

"Go on." He announced. Anna rolled her eyes and shoved him away.

"Not until we're eating. I want to make sure Balthazar doesn't burn everything in revenge for not including him in what he calls my "rebellious uprising"." She quoted, saying the last sentence a little louder than the rest so that he could hear.

The fire was burning down some now, the chemicals burning out. It was a more manageable size, and Castiel felt relieved from the burn dancing across his skin.

"I was born to be a part of a revolution! I'm frankly insulted that you've decided to go ahead and do it without consulting me. My family used to come from France, you know." He said, over dramatically sighing. Castiel was confused.

"Rebellion? What is he talking about, Anna?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. He'd never known Anna to be anything other than a good community leader. To think that she was plotting against it seemed ridiculous.

It was probably Balthazar just over exaggerating. He liked to do that a lot.

"We'll explain it in a second. Why don't you come and sit with us?" Anna offered, waving him over. Castiel followed behind obediently, sitting on a large stick they'd dragged over to serve as makeshift seats.

Balthazar held a metal contraption over the fire, turning it occasionally and shaking it. Anna reached over every once in awhile to tell him to do something differently or to remind him to do it at all, but for the most part, it passed without incident.

He pulled the thing back and opened it up, using an oven mitt he'd brought along. Castiel was suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of fresh food, and his mouth began to water.

"What is that?" He questioned, smelling deeply. Anna smiled at him.

"Well, it's a cooker. To cook over a camp fire more efficiently than sticks. It's something I made at the lab when I saw some humans using something like it a few years ago. I just forgot I'd made it until earlier today when I was cleaning some stuff out. Actually, that's why I had this get together." She said.

Gabriel reached forward, fingers almost closing around a small piece of food. Anna smacked his hand away without even looking, and he made a loud whining sound.

"Anna, that's ridiculous! I can eat it that hot!"

"If you start eating now, nobody else is going to get anything." She said, looking back and raising her eyebrow at him. Gabriel thought a few moments before he shook his head, agreeing with her.

"Yeah, I've actually used one of those before. Bobby used to take Sam and I camping all the time when we were younger, mainly so we could avoid dad on the weekends. But man, nothing beats the taste of a sandwich cooked in one of these things. Under the stars." Dean said, looking up to emphasize his point.

Castiel looked up, too, feeling a fond affection for the sky grow. He could remember stories about the stars from when he was younger; the kind that settled in your bones and made you feel like the sky was more your home than the earth would ever be.

"I have to admit I share your affinity." Castiel said, softly. Dean smiled at him, shaking his head a little bit.

"Hey, knuckleheads, do you want some before I turn this over to Gabriel?" Anna questioned, waving the still-warm pot over to them. Castiel reached in and grabbed some of it, smiling a little bit.

It was little pieces of potatoes, small and fried with honey so that they tasted salty and sweet. Dean tasted it and made a face, leaning over their makeshift seat and spitting it out.

"That was disgusting, god. What was that, mashed potatoes and candy's freaky love child?" Dean demanded, shuddering. Castiel laughed a little, still munching on his little bit.

"Actually, you're not far off." He admitted. Dean turned to him and his eyes widened, head shaking. "It's a bit of an acquired taste."

"I never want to acquire that taste, thank you very much." Dean mumbled, shaking his head. Gabriel shrugged.

"Whatever then, more for me." He said, grabbing the pot and digging in.

Eventually, they all sat around the campfire in complete silence, staring at the flames. The food was done, and it was at that time between when everyone finishes eating and when everyone begins to actually talk. Castiel actually enjoyed times like these, not feeling like he had to say anything.

"So, about this magic revolution Balthazar is a baby about..." Dean said, slowly. Balthazar sent him a glare, sticking out his tongue.

"Well, about that..." Anna said, scratching her head. "I kinda sorta maybe told the rest of the scientists that we had a plan to get you to the human world? I swear it was an accident, one of them knew I was working on the growing potion and offered to help, and there was no way I could have gotten it done in time on my own-"

"Anna." Castiel said, giving her a stern look. Anna blushed and looked down, sighing.

"I know, I know, telling people is risky because it might get back to Uriel beforehand and if he knows blah blah blah he'll think it's a revolution. That's not the point to this, though."

"The point is that is actually is a revolution."

"Balthazar, shut up." Anna commanded. She took a moment to straighten up her back and she continued, "Well, I mentioned that it was because you and Dean were an item, and you might choose to stay with him. They all thought you make an excellent couple, by the way."

Castiel blushed, shaking his head. "Anna, the point."

"I'm getting there. Well, I went over our plan with them, and they said that they thought it was good. They also said that if he starts to give us any trouble, they're going to stand up with me."

"They're going to...?" Castiel questioned, not quite getting this. Was this a revolution? Was that what he was witnessing?

"Offer some leverage. If the entire team of science experts is willing to quit if you aren't sent to the human world, well... that's some serious persuasion, Castiel. Yes, it sounds a little bit like a revolution. But don't you think it's time we start to get some say in what goes on around here?" She questioned.

Castiel's head was spinning. He couldn't believe it. Anna, one of his best friends, was planning a revolution against all that he had been loyal to for his entire life-

But the thing that bothered him the most, was that he almost didn't care.

He could see what she meant. He knew that she was right, and that having no say in how anything was run wasn't right and wasn't just. They needed to make changes and adjustments as a society, and the way Uriel made everyone to feel as though they themselves were unimportant, like their worth was based entirely upon how well they did their job, was wrong.

He felt almost numb to this revelation. He was almost numb at how far he had fallen.

"I'm glad." he said, finally. Because, despite the swirling tornado of emotions inside of him, he could feel that one loud and clear. He was happy that he had a better chance of going with Dean, should that be what he would decide.

"You're... Glad?" Anna questioned, tilting her head to the side. She had clearly been worried out of her mind with how Castiel would react. Before Dean had come along, it would have been for good reason, too. But now? Now, Cas couldn't separate what he wanted from what had been ingrained into his head as 'right'.

He'd always been a little bit of a rebel. He'd done things a little differently, accidentally broke rules that he knew were there for a reason, he'd even intentionally broken a few when he was younger. But the guilt that he was made to feel for when he did, the absolute horror when Uriel told him he was defacing his father's memory, had been enough to stop him.

Now, what Dean said changed that.

He didn't think about his Father's memory. He'd barely known his father.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? Uriel is an oppressive leader and needs to be challenged." Castiel said.

Gabriel dropped his food, staring in absolute shock.

After a little while, he smiled a huge smile. "That's the Castiel I know and love. I always knew you'd come around to the idea of a little rule breaking."

"It would be another thing if we had consented to the rules which we're being forced to follow. I'm still not necessarily supporting anything extreme, but..."

Castiel thought. Honestly, this changed the game.

If his friends might eventually be caught up in a revolution, he didn't want to have to stand against them. He wouldn't stand against them. He couldn't force himself to if he tried. However, if he wasn't in the garrison, if he could get another position, he could pick a side. He could stand by his friends.

Not that he expected things to spiral into revolution any time soon. But he had to think ahead; the blood of someone he loved on his hands was too high a price to pay just to keep to his old habits of blind obedience. He would never forgive himself.

"I believe we have his permission." Balthazar said, pleasantly. Gabriel and Anna did a high-five, and Balthazar exchanged weird, half-handshakes with both of them. They shared a look.

"That's not going to be the official handshake of the rebellion." Anna said.

"Oh, come on! You're just not going to let me decide anything now, are you?" He asked.

Castiel remained quiet through most of the night, silently listening to his friends bicker and squabble, talking and laughing. The air was warm with more than just the fire; he loved them and they loved each other, and Castiel felt like he was in the presence of family.

The night wore thin, and the moon was directly above them. Castiel sighed as he watched it, eyes glazing over. Soon, he would go. The fire was turning to embers in the pit, and Anna and Balthazar were hugging goodnight. Dean slipped his fingers in between Cas's, and he slowly worked to pull them up.

"Do you want to head home now?" He asked. He leaned a little closer, his voice husky in Cas's ear. "I have some things I'd like to touch, with your permission."

"You have it wholeheartedly." Cas purred back, nuzzling under Dean's neck in a small sign of affection.

"Get a room!" Gabriel yelled, as he picked up a bucket to get water with, so that they could fully extinguish the fire before they left.

"We're about to fly to mine. You're welcome to shut up, if you'd like." Castiel responded. He could practically hear Gabriel rolling his eyes at him.

"Goodbye, Castiel." Anna said, standing to hug him. She hesitated a moment before leaning over to wrap her arms around Dean, as well. Dean hugged back with everything that he had, patting her back soothingly.

"Thank you so much for everything, Anna." He said, sincerely. Castiel smiled at the sight.

Even if he left with Dean, both of them would still want to come back here. Maybe they would schedule vacations; twice a year they would come and spend a week or so here, surrounded by their friends, Castiel taking the opportunity to report back on everything he'd learned about the humans.

That sounded just on the brink of perfection.

The flight home was dark, but it was a good kind of dark. The kind that made everything seem still.

"You really need to get better glowy-rocks in here." Dean said, as they walked into the living room. His legs wobbled a little as he walked, which Cas found endearing. It was like sea sickness, but Dean got it whenever they flew long distances.

"Yes, that I do. Do you think you'd like to go to the market with me tomorrow and get some more of the glow-paint?" Castiel offered. "We could repaint them together later."

"That actually sounds really cool. When you say 'market', do you mean like, a place people go to haggle? Trade? Like, a huge row of stalls with different merchants?" Dean questioned. Castiel smiled a little bit.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. It's a large and beautiful place, and you'll get to see some of our finest crafter's works." Castiel said. He was already looking forward to taking Dean with him, to introducing him to his favorite shops. In fact, Cas would really like to get Dean something to take home with him. Something to remind him of his time with the fae, just in case Cas didn't leave with him.

"Well then. I'm pretty excited. However, there is another work of art I'd like to see about now." Dean purred, stalking towards him.

Their lips met in a heated embrace, and Cas let out a moan as Dean's tongue danced with his.

* * *

It didn't take long until Cas was pushed back up against his bed, moaning and writhing against Dean. Dean was honestly tempted to just keep going like this, rutting up against each other like they were teenagers, lost in the feeling of Cas's feathers brushing up against his skin and his tongue occasionally darting into Dean's mouth.

But, Dean had a plan. A really fucking stupid plan, that he wished he'd never come up with, because he was fucking scared as hell.

However, he knew it was the right thing to do. Castiel had already given so much of himself, without knowing whether or not he'd end up going with Dean. Dean wanted to leave a part of himself with Cas, a memory he'd never forget, like the ones Cas would have from their time together. Just in case.

Dean had had sex before. Dean had had a lot of sex, with a lot of people, a lot of meaningless and sometimes broken people. He'd down just about everything in the book that you could do; he'd been tied up, whipped, tried every position, hell, a girl had even worn a collar for him once. He'd role played, kissed, given handjobs and blowjobs and etc. But there was one thing left he hadn't done.

Dean had never taken a cock.

"Cas, I wanna try something new. Are you okay with that? Could you trust me?" He asked, softly.

"Of course." Castiel said, blinking.

"Then get up on the bed, lay down, and close your eyes. Keep yourself hard however you can, this might take a little while. Just... Trust me, okay? I promise it'll be worth it." He swore. Castiel let the smallest smile sneak up, quirking his lip in that way that made Dean's heart melt. He did as he was told, laying back and closing his eyes.

Dean shed the rest of his clothes, reaching up to tug one of his nipples lightly. He gasped softly, and he could see Cas's eyes twitch as he fought the urge to open them.

He dipped his fingers into the lotion and propped one of his legs up onto the bed, looking nervously down. His cock grew the smallest bit soft, sagging a little from the nerves.

He pumped it with one hand, bringing himself back to full hardness. His other reached between his legs, feeling along. He pressed up against his hole, the coldness of the lotion causing him to shiver. Forcing himself to relax, he guided one finger in.

He crooked it the smallest amount, feeling out what it was like inside of himself. It was soft and warm, and wasn't as intrusive as he would have thought to have something up there. He slowly began to move it in and out, treating his cock with long and slow strokes, going the same pace.

It wasn't long before all of the discomfort was gone, and he began to add another finger. It burned a little bit this time, the stretching sensation odd. He shoved them in a little further and tensed up, considering giving up for a moment.

He dismissed the thought, bringing his other hand up to rub at his slit. He let out a loud, choked moan at the feeling, muscles relaxing enough to let his two fingers slide in. He kept rubbing insistently at his head as he began to scissor them, opening himself up as wide as he could.

The burn was getting to him again, the subtle feeling. It felt like too much and at the same time as if it wasn't quite enough, but as he adjusted, he found that he sort of missed it. It was starting to feel nice to have pressure up against his walls. He wiggled his fingers in just a little deeper, pressing down a bit to see if he-

He let out a loud cry, hips bucking forward as he hit his prostate. He stopped moving his fingers, keeping them still as he caught his breath.

It wasn't long before he was fucking himself down on three fingers, letting out small and broken whines and moans as he brushed up against his prostate.

"C-Cas," He finally gasped out. He was absolutely ready to give himself over to his throws of passion; Castiel sat, perfectly still and his lips shut into a thin line. His cock was hard and beading up with small drops of precum from Dean's noises.

Dean crawled onto the bed, kissing Cas passionately. Cas kissed back like he was a man dying of dehydration and Dean was a cool drink of water; pleased at the reaction, Dean took his hand, still half-covered in lotion, and began to pump Cas's cock with it nice and slow.

Cas let out a long moan, arching upwards. Dean let out small, reassuring sounds, pressing kisses along his jawline. Cas's stubble scratched, but Dean couldn't be brought to care at the moment. He was too high on the knowledge of what was going to come.

"Cas," Dean said, straddling his hips. He rose himself up and hovered just above Cas's cock, feeling almost empty after his fingers had left. He relaxed in anticipation for what was to come, knowing that Cas was a little thicker than the average human, and he didn't want to hurt himself. "Open your eyes."

Cas's eyes flickered open, and he took in the scene with interest. He licked his lips when his eyes met Dean's, and he nodded. That was all the permission Dean needed.

He slowly began to sink down, head slipping in easy. Cas let out a beautiful moan, wings fluffing up. He began to let out a slow pant, fingers fisting in the sheets. Dean sunk down lower, feeling the burn but ignoring it in favor of being fucking turned on as hell from Cas's face. His lips parted in the perfect 'o', hair tousled just the right way, wings stretching up to meet Dean's arms and back, enclosing them as if the rest of the world didn't even fucking exist.

Dean finally bottomed out. He gave himself a few moments to adjust before shifting, to get his position right.

He ended up crying out in pleasure as he hit against his prostate, the feeling almost making him dizzy.

He slowly rose up again, feeling Cas's dick drag against his stretched hole. Cas had all those little bumps that had been disregardable when Dean was sucking him, but now? Holy shit, Dean could feel every small bump. He understood why they made dildos with texture; every catch against his rim sent a shock through his system.

"Cas, shit man." He moaned, starting to sink back down. Cas brushed against his prostate again and Dean let out a groan, deciding that he'd had quite enough of the small movements, tentative. He wanted to cry out Cas's name as he came.

He started to move his hips in earnest, raising a few inches and dropping a few inches, hitting his prostate dead on with every drop. A bead of precum swelled on his dick as he went, faster and faster, moaning and groaning and letting Cas's hips move up into him at the same time as he went down.

He buried his fingers in Cas's feathers, and he felt Cas's dick give a twitch inside of him, interested. Dean started to go just a little faster, just a little harder, clutching at Cas's wings and gasping and groaning as he did.

Cas's wings started to twitch the way they did when he was close to letting pollen go all over the place. Dean wondered what it would feel like to Cas if he was cumming from his wings and having his dick ridden at the same time, and decided to make it his mission to find out such a thing. Castiel had already lasted so long for his first time, though, he knew he was going to have to make it quick.

He leaned over to one of Cas's wings, acting on instinct and hoping that it would feel good. He picked one of the larger feathers; shiny and glistening black in the low light. Slowly and tentatively he stuck out his tongue, licking a stripe across it.

Cas's hips bucked up into his body, Cas letting out a cry as he did so.

Dean began to lick his wings in earnest then; the feathers tasted sweet, almost like his cum. Dean kept moving along his flight feathers, stopping and switching when he got as many as he could reach on one.

He didn't even have to ride Cas then; Cas's hands were like steel vices as they gripped Dean's hips, Cas's own hips moving up and down. A little slower than Dean would like, but he was burning all over and couldn't complain that Cas kept hitting his sweet spot and staying pressed there for a few seconds at a time.

Finally, Cas's wings gave a mighty shake, and splayed out, pollen beginning to sift through his feathers. Dean started to move his own hips a little faster, loving Cas's loud and broken moan of his name.

Suddenly, Cas's hips were snapping upwards at a rate that was almost inhuman. He let out a growl, starting to speak in a language that was entirely foreign to Dean, but dark and seductive. As he drilled into Dean's prostate, the dark and foreign tongue falling from his lips like a prayer, Dean felt a low fire start to build in his stomach.

Suddenly, the stimulation got to be too much. Cas's dick spasmed inside him, still hitting all the right spots, and Cas let out loud cries mixed with Dean's name. Dean felt something in him let go, and he was cumming in long, white-hot spurts all across his own chest.

Cas kept thrusting even after Dean was done, and Dean let out small whines as his overstimulated dick had bursts of pleasure going through it, almost too much to bare. He refused to get hard again, but something about the feeling, the satisfaction to the point where he still felt it and wasn't getting hard, there was something about that. Something that made him grind down on Cas again and again, until Cas was beginning to soften.

He pulled up, muscles burning from the exercise. He fell down next to Castiel and snuggled up, feeling cum begin to trickle out of his ass. Whatever. He could wash it out in the morning.

"That was amazing. What language were you speaking?"

"The language of the stars." Castiel responded, tiredly.

"What?" Dean asked, tilting his head to the side. Cas made a vague noise in response, but saw that that wouldn't be good enough for Dean.

"I'll tell you one day. Not right now." Castiel said.

Dean nodded. Cas could take all the time he needed. Plus, it's not like he was exactly mad about it. Whatever it was, it was fucking hot.


	14. Chapter 14

**Note: This chapter was published Saturday but I didn't remember to update here. Sorry! Which means this note is from Saturday. I had a lovely time.**

**EDIT: messed some stuff up, which means you guys accidentally got chapter 14 for chapter 13, and I don't think you ever recieved chapter 12. I'm fixing that now, sorry I didn't see it sooner!**

**I am AT DESTIELCON THIS WEEKEND! That's super duper exciting, obviously. And in all my excitement, it has turned out that I don't have time to edit this chapter. (It's not my fault I only got five hours of sleep last night and six the night before I HAVE BEEN BUSY HAVING FUN).**  
**I'm not going to lie, it's most likely never going to be extensively edited, but if you see something that just ruins the entire chapter for you feel free to leave it in the comments (if that's all you say in the comment tho I'll be a little bit upset I need more love than that) adn I'll try my best to fix it at the very least on AO3.**  
**About this chapter particularly: It sets up for another important plot point, (looking back it probably should have been a little earlier in the book but whatever), other than that it's just a fluff and a lil bit of smut chapter.**  
**I sort of count this as semi-public sex so you might want to skim over it if that's not your thing.**

* * *

The smell of food filled the air; it wafted around them, leaving everything in a warm glow of what smelled like chicken. Dean's stomach growled_loudly_, reminding him that he hadn't had anything that wasn't plant-based in a week and a half.

"I hope you know that I can hear you from here." Castiel mumbled, pushing past an old woman who had her umbrella out too far and was partially blocking the walkway.

Who the fuck even carried umbrellas anymore? Nobody did. Nobody carried umbrellas, except for old women fae at the fae market.

Which, surprisingly enough, was narrow a narrow category.

There was barely enough room for four people to walk side-by-side between the stalls; they had been built on either side of a path left and abandoned by animals, which didn't leave a lot of wiggle room. The shops, row after row after row on either side, sat close. There seemed to be no real order to their placement, although they all looked vaguely similar.

Made out of sticks and a leaf awning, some with small clay ovens in the back and others with things lain over the edge of the booth or across the counter. Small trinkets and children's playthings and jewelery, even some things Dean didn't have a name for.

"This all seems a little... overwhelming." He said, watching a child zip by and barely avoid crashing right into a person by flapping their wings and actually jumping _over_ them last-minute. He mumbled, "Well his parents certainly aren't around to see that."

"It is, but I grew up here. The thing that's really confusing is that it's first come first serve with the booths. Every Saturday, people will come and grab the closest booth to where they are. So the places that things are are constantly shifting and changing." Castiel informed him, eyes scanning the place for some kind of store. Dean watched with mild interest, uncertain of how they were supposed to actually go to wherever Cas was looking for.

"I don't understand. How are we supposed to find the right place, then?" Dean questioned, tilting his head to the side. Castiel's mouth quirked up in amusement.

"We don't. We slowly descend into chaos and we _end up_ at the right place anyways." Castiel said. Dean stopped, mouth going slack in astonishment.

"You're messing with me." He said, like an accusation.

"Well, I didn't say it to provide you a warm sense of comfort." Cas confirmed, his wings puffing up indignantly. Dean let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. For some reason, Cas's jokes always tended to throw him off the slightest bit. It was unnerving and exciting at the same time.

"You know, I think you're starting to like me." Dean teased, catching up and slinging an arm around Cas's shoulders. Castiel gave a halfhearted shrug.

"I'm also quite fond of lightning bugs, you know." He said. That confused Dean a little bit, but he decided to go along with Cas's joke.

"Oh, really? You wouldn't let a firefly fuck you until you screamed, would you?" He questioned, making sure to keep his voice down so that nobody overheard their conversation. Castiel turned a little bit, eyes darkening. Not enough for most people to realize, but enough for Dean.

Castiel leaned forward, lips hovering inches away from Dean's. Dean's breath caught in his throat and he forgot, for a moment, where they were.

"No. Because beastiality is wrong." Cas said, flatly. Before Dean knew what had happened, Cas had leaned away, acting like nothing had happened. Dean's eyes widened as he looked at his lover, feeling his lips tingle with the disappointment of still not having been touched by another's.

"That's..." Dean started, but then cut off. He didn't really have anything to say now. He jogged a few steps to catch up to Cas, who was walking along contentedly as if nothing had happened. He saw that little smirk, though. He knew that Cas knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

_Fucking kiss-blocked me_ . Dean thought, still trying to adjust to the idea that he _wasn't_ going to be kissed. Boy, did that throw him off.

Cas's hand came to settle in his own, Cas still refusing to make eye contact with him. Cas took a small turn, suddenly, and Dean was dragged along with him. Suddenly, he was yanked into a tent. An actual, tarp-draped-over-the-stall, tent.

"Oh. So this is how you find the place you were looking for." He said, seeing clearly that this tent could be taken down and moved to any of the other stalls.

Inside, there were glowing rocks. Not unlike the ones Castiel had at home, but these were of varying sizes and varying colored glow. Some of them were a smoldering orange-red, like the sunset, others a pure white, like moonlight. A few changed colors; one seemed to move with the patterns of a roaring fire, dancing across the surface of the stone like a dancer.

Beside each of the rocks lay a small bucked, labeled with the color it corresponded to. Castiel immediately walked over to the green, looking at it for a moment. Dean knew that was the color his current stones were, and expected Castiel to just go with the same. However, that's not what Castiel did.

Cas stopped, pulling his hand back. "You know, I've been using the same color for the last forty years, maybe it's time for a change. Dean, do you have any preference?"

"You... Want my opinion?" He asked, looking around. All the colors caught his eyes, there really wasn't any one that he would prefer off the top of his head. Plus, he was going to be leaving soon. If Cas stayed here, he would end up stuck with whatever Dean would choose. "Nah, man. It's your house."

At the thought of Cas staying behind, Dean's chest gave a painful squeeze. He looked up at the ceiling, forcing his chest to stop squeezing. It felt like there was a very small boa constrictor wrapped around his lungs, which was not as cute as it sounded. Once the "snake" released it's hold, he looked back down to find Cas, looking torn.

"Yeah, I know that. But your opinion matters to me. I think it would be a good idea if you were to help me pick something out." Castiel said. "I'll tell you if I absolutely detest it. I won't let you pick something awful."

"Okay, Cas. I don't really have a lot of experience in home décor, though, so don't be disappointed if it looks awful." Dean warned.

So began the long process of looking at every color the store had. He carefully watched Cas's reactions to each color as they looked at them together, immediately scrapping it if Cas made a face or didn't look all that happy. In the end, they were down to two final choices, both of which Dean approved of.

There was a soft purple, which seemed to light up the room in a calming presence. Then, there was the one that looked like a crackling fireplace; dark and romantic. It was a little more expensive than the purple one, but Cas seemed to not care about his budget. He looked between Dean and the choices, seemingly waiting for further instruction.

"I like both of them, how about you pick for this?" He suggested, gesturing towards both of them. Castiel thought for a few moments before he relented, reaching forward to pick up the cackling fire one.

Dean internally smiled. Okay, so he liked both of them, but he had to admit he was hoping Cas would choose that one. He liked the way it bounced off of their skin; he thought it would be interesting to watch, especially if he could get it dancing over as much of Cas's skin as possible...

Cas walked up to the register, handing the woman the can of paint. She glanced between the two of them and the paint, her lip quirking up the smallest amount.

"Well, now. Mostly, this is bought by young lovers. Tell me Cas, in my hundred and twenty years of selling you paint, have I ever seen you with a lover before?" She teased him, winking at Dean. Dean smiled a little bit. This was _much_ better than the time that store clerk had assumed he and Benny were a couple.

They didn't get kicked out, but they had ended up leaving. If they hadn't, Dean would have punched that self-righteous prick right in the nose, he would've. He was sure there were still idiots here, but it seemed to be a lot less common. The kind of world people were shooting for.

"I-I'm very happy to say that I am involved with Dean, yes." Castiel stammered out, blushing. Dean smiled at him, feeling his eyes glaze over.

"Best wishes to you!" She said, smiling at them.

"Thank you very much. You have a good day, miss." Castiel said. She nodded her head. Cas turned then, sensing the end of the conversation and anxious to walk around with Dean again. Dean followed, picking up the paint.

"You two be good now!" She shouted, as they walked out the door. Castiel waved one last goodbye before he shut the door of the tent.

"Are you ready to go home and get this stuff all over some rocks?" Dean offered, raising his eyebrows. Castiel paused, frowning.

"Actually, I was thinking that we should walk around for a little while. I wanted to show you the market place, not just get some paint and leave." Castiel explained.

Dean smiled a little bit, nodding. "Alright then, show me the way."

They kept walking, row after row of vendor. Dean's stomach let out a loud gurgle yet again, and Castiel rolled his eyes before walking over to a vendor and buying two slices of some sort of meat. It was a little chewy for Dean's taste, but he absolutely scarfed it down, body craving it after so long.

"God, what is this?" He asked. It was spiced just right...

"It's rat meat." Castiel said, casually, taking a bite. Dean paused, looking at him with wide eyes. "Don't worry, the rats had been tested for illness before being cooked. We're not barbarians, Dean."

Dean paused, looking down at his half-finished treat. Then, he promptly decided that "yolo" applied, and bit in yet again. Damn, if he could just bring that cook some more tender meat, like a steak. It would taste delicious.

"So, what are we gonna go check out now?" He questioned, following Cas. Cas turned and looked at him for a moment, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm not sure. Do you want to pick a place?" He offered. Dean shook his head.

"Alright then. Do you want to go home?" He offered again.

Dean hesitated. "You know what? Let's go look at that stand." He said, pointing to a random one. Castiel followed him as he marched over to it, throwing out the empty wrapper of his food in a trash can, which was conveniently located by the stand.

Dean approached, looking down at the objects, strewn across the table. Most of them were rings, but some looked like pendants and still others looked like they were bracelets, made out of leather.

He picked up a small ring. It looked so lifelike; green and brown metal sculpted to look like twigs and leaves, all twirling around a bright green gemstone. Actually, it sort of looked like a class ring. Castiel came up beside him, Dean only noticing when a hand reached out to take the ring he was looking at from his hands.

"This is a better piece of work. Do you like it?" Castiel questioned. Dean shrugged.

"Sort of reminds me of a class ring. It's pretty, though. Really well done." He said, glancing at the jeweler. He seemed pleased with Dean's reaction; one of the reasons Dean said anything in the first place. He'd figured a lot of love went into the ring.

"What's a class ring?" Castiel questioned, setting it back down on the table. Dean paused, trying to think of a way to describe it.

"Well, when humans graduate their high school, a lot of them get class rings with the year that they graduated engraved onto them. Sometimes when humans date, they give their significant other their class ring, sort of as a promise. I never got one of my own because we were always moving around and I didn't much see the point in it. So, yeah." Dean said, shrugging. Cas nodded thoughtfully.

They left the jewelery store, walking a little bit further. Dean absentmindedly followed Cas, not really paying attention to what was happening. He was mostly just... zoning.

Eventually, he realized that there weren't many people anymore. The vendors were spread far and wide, and the people were mostly just the people selling the items.

"I think we should head back now, Cas." Dean said, dreading the walk back. His legs were already tired.

"I think I have a better idea." Castiel said, looking over at Dean. He leaned down and scooped Dean up into his arms, his wings unfurling from his back as he did so. Dean relaxed, figuring Cas was just going to fly them back.

Castiel did not, however, fly them back. His wings took into the air and he rose, higher and higher, through the trees and sunlight and branches. Eventually he came to rest in a small hollow, just big enough that Dean could have comfortably laid down without worrying about falling.

"What are we doing up here?" Dean asked, being careful not to look down. Castiel smiled, and his eyes darkened just the tiniest bit.

"Remember earlier, when we almost kissed, but I pulled away?" Castiel reminded him, walking forward. It wasn't long until Dean and Cas were pressed up together, and Dean's dick twitched with interest in his pants. "Do you really think I'd leave you hanging like that?"

"I don't know. Do you... Want to leave me... Hanging like that?" Dean asked, because all of his blood was currently in his dick and even when that isn't the situation, comebacks and responses aren't his forte.

"You know, this place is secluded. Nobody can hear us up this high. It's private, tranquil." Castiel said, his hands coming to rest on Dean's shoulders. Dean nodded a little, leaning down and pressing a small kiss to Cas's lips.

"Then why are we still wearing pants?" Dean questioned. Cas smirked.

"Because we don't have any lube. I do, however, have a good alternative." He said, pressing his lips back to Dean's. Dean's tongue delved into Cas's mouth, exploring and licking and nipping. Cas let a small moan slip out, his hips bucking eagerly against Dean's in an attempt to get any friction.

They broke apart, a thin trail of saliva attaching their lips. Castiel's pupils were blown and his hair was wrecked as he glanced hungrily downwards.

Slowly, Castiel sank to his knees. He looked up at Dean through his eyelashes, large blue eyes sparkling with mischief. He unbuttoned Dean's pants, unzipping them by putting the zipper between his front teeth and giving a rough tug downwards. Dean thought that he probably could have came in his pants just from that sight.

Cas's hands raised again to grab a hold of his pants and underwear, pulling them down over his hips. He watched as Dean's cock was finally released of it's confines, curving upwards. Castiel leaned forward, letting the tip of his tongue just barely trace a vein. Dean smelled like musk; he felt drunk off of it.

Dean let out a long moan, looking up and bringing his fist to his mouth, biting it so that he wouldn't buck or curse. Holy crap, Cas had just applied the right amount of pressure; Dean was panting and wanting, and he'd hardly even touched him.

Castiel had apparently decided to have a little fun, because he kept doing the same. Exact. Thing.

His tongue would run, light and promising, over Dean's shaft, and stop before he'd get to the head. Dean's hips would buck or he'd bite his hand or let out a long, embarrassing whine, but Cas seemed to have infinite patience when it came to this.

By the time he started lavishing Dean's cock with sloppy, wet licks, Dean was already throbbing and aching. Castiel got him as wet as possible, lips sinking down almost to his base and moth filling with salivia, before he choked and pulled off. He looked at Dean's cock for a few moments before he decided that it was, indeed, wet enough. He stood up, working quickly to pull his own garments off.

Cas's beautiful cock was swollen and already leaking at the tip; he was clearly not going to last long.

"Did sucking me really do that to you, Cas?" Dean purred, leaning forward to nip his ear. Cas let out a groan, throwing back his head and exposing his throat. Dean immediately went to work, determined to cover all of the fading hickeys with new, brighter ones.

"God, Dean," Cas said, moving their hips together.

Dean pulled away from Cas's neck only when Cas began to rut against him, quickly connecting their lips instead. Dean's left hand came down to grasp their cocks together, twisting his hand to get some of Cas's spit on his own cock and avoid chaffing. Cas's hips began to move, hands coming to rest on Dean's shoulders as he fucked up into his fist.

Cas's moist length moving against his put Dean in absolute heaven. He reached out to rub fingers through Cas's feathers, his own hips working against the other man's in an attempt to fuel the fire raging in both of them. Dean moved his hand up and down, squeezing their cocks together softly as he did.

"Dean!" Cas cried out, thrusting speeding up. Dean let out a moan in return, pressing his forehead to Cas's and looking deep into his eyes. Castiel refused to move, his gaze trained on Dean and body taught, hips still, trying to hold on for as long as he could.

"It's alright, Cas." Dean purred, increasing the pace. Cas was struggling with it, not wanting it to be over so soon but at the same time anticipating the long waves of pleasure that would take over his body, maybe even his wings, too, if Dean kept rubbing them that way.

In the end, the decision was made for him.

Dean's fingers hit a sweet spot in his wings, and they fluffed out. Pleasure, tingling and wonderful, exploded across his shoulders. His hips unfroze and began to move at an incredibly fast pace, fucking up into Dean's fist as he moaned and his wings jerked, feeling on the edge of even more, so close...

His vision turned white as he began his climax, crying out. His dick pulsed against Dean's, hips still working furiously. The pleasure and euphoria washed over his body in waves, sending him higher and higher into ecstasy. He let his hips slowly come to a halt, eyes still shut and leaning against Dean. Dean's hand continued to work on him, pulling out the last drops of his nectar.

Dean let out a loud moan as he climaxed, cum covering his own hand. Castiel made a small sound of contentment, nuzzling into his lover's neck. A long time passed in silence, Dean removing his hand from their spent dicks and looking for a place to wipe it.

"Well, that was kinky." Dean said, smiling.

"This is kinky, too." Cas said, grabbing the wrist of Dean's cum-covered hand. He lifted it slowly to his mouth, tongue darting out to begin to lick at it.

Dean watched, eyes hungry as Cas's tongue darted in between his fingers, cleaning out every crevice and plane. Cas lapped it up as if it were milk, tongue curving around Dean's skin in a way that was so deliciously tempting, it almost had Dean hard again. He stared in utter and absolute shock as Castiel pulled away, leaving his hand entirely clean and cum-free.

"That.. Was very kinky." Dean agreed, nodding his head in agreement. Castiel smiled.

* * *

Castiel rummaged through his closet (Which, of course, Dean had found cool as fuck because the door to it blended into the walls. He hadn't noticed it before. Which, of course, somehow made it cool,) (Cas would never understand humans). He looked left and right, trying to find what he was looking for. It had only been six months since he'd painted the rocks last time, it should not be this damned hard to find-

He emerged victorious, a pair of brushes clutched in his hands.

He handed one of them to Dean, the smaller one. Dean pouted at his tiny brush, but quickly moved on with his life. Castiel grabbed one of his rocks and dragged it to the middle of the living room, placing it on a big pad he'd laid out earlier. He plopped himself down in front of it, popping the paint can he'd purchased open and sitting it on the side of the rock.

Dean laid across the couch. "Hey, Cas. Paint me like one of your french girls."

Castiel looked at him, brow furrowing in confusion. "You... Want me to paint you as a woman?"

"No, it was... Never mind. You wouldn't get it." Dean said, giving a small sigh. Castiel shook his head, turning his attention back to the task at hand.

Dean sat across from him, brush in hand and dipping the bristles slowly into the paint. He got a glob and just started smoothing it around, trying to imitate what Cas was doing.

Castiel looked up from the rock to look at Dean. He felt his eyes glaze over as he stared at his hunter, affection pooling in his chest and warming up his entire body.

Dean Winchester, the only being who had made him _desire_ . Not just sexually, either. Castiel had never felt romantically towards another human being before Dean. He was certain that, were Dean to leave, he would not find someone who could make him feel like Dean had. He would live the rest of his days... alone.

And, while alone wasn't bad, and Cas could make it work... Well, he didn't want to. He wanted Dean, he wanted kisses on cool nights and winks at each other and the ease of talking and speaking and being that they'd seemed to develop. Nobody would connect to him like Dean would, and that was just fact.

He didn't want to lose Dean. Dean was the most important friend he'd had in quite awhile. Dean was brave and loyal and kind, and with his friends beginning to do things that could potentially pin them on opposite sides of a confrontation, Cas wasn't sure there was anything he had to stay here for. Still, it seemed like he was determined not to make up his mind until the very end of his allotted time. He refused to decide.

"Cas. You've been staring at me for two minutes straight now. Well, I mean, maybe "straight" isn't the right word for it, but I think you get my-"

"Dean, you're ruining the moment." Castiel teased, immediately. Dean laughed a little, looking down and shaking his head.

"What moment? There was a moment?"

"Yes, I was just plotting which way I would kill you. Strangulation sounds like the best route for now." Castiel said, thoughtfully. Dean rolled his eyes and playfully kicked him in the calves.

"I hate you."

"That's not what you said last night." Castiel muttered. Dean's eyes widened, and he busted out into a fit of laughter.

"You... Fae have jokes like that? That's like, a meme in the human world." Dean said, finally overcoming his fit of laughter long enough to get out the rest of his thought. Castiel stared at him until he finally stopped.

"I don't know what a "meme" is. Dean, what is that?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side. Dean laughed even harder at that, leaving Castiel feeling a little bit confused. "Dean. What is a meme?"

"It just... It doesn't matter." Dean choked out, smiling. He caught his breath a little, seeming to adjust after his long bout of laughter.

"Okay." Castiel said, doubtfully.

Seeing that this rock was finished, he picked it up and moved it back into it's place. As soon as that was done, he grabbed another one, carrying it over to Dean and setting it down gently between them.

Dean raised his brush, and began to paint again.

* * *

The next morning, Castiel got up before Dean.

The sun had barely began to rise; he knew he had plenty of time before Dean would wake up. And, yet, he felt am odd sense of urgency about what he was doing.

He quickly dressed, putting on his casual attire and grabbing his bag of money. He wrote a note on his only spare piece of paper, folding it up and placing it tenderly beside Dean's head as he slept. Dean turned over, letting out a large yawn, but remained asleep.

"I'll be back soon." Castiel mumbled, mostly to reassure himself. He walked on the tips of his toes, creeping into the living room and through it, where the flickering light was just beginning to die down. Castiel had to admit that he liked the pattern a lot. He was actually astounded he'd never tried it before.

Then again, he had to acknowledge that the only reason he'd decided to try something new now was because Dean was here, and he was feeling adventurous.

He flew as fast as his wings could take him, still managing to admire the warm air and the occasional patches of sunlight against his body as he flew. He wanted to be able to be back before Dean woke, so that hopefully he'd never actually know he'd gone anywhere.

He reached the vendor quicker than he had anticipated. Quickly, he sifted through the jewelery, until he found the ring. It was fairly large for something that was admittedly feminine, and looked as though it would fit Dean perfectly. Castiel couldn't wait to see his reaction to being given the object he was admiring...

Castiel put the money on the table and slipped the ring into his bag, nodding to the man silently. The man nodded back, his eyes smiling as he took in the milling customers.

Castiel flew back with slower flaps of his wings, taking his time. He let the air sift through his feathers, even did a few tricks he'd been working on. He knew that, if he chose to go with Dean, he wouldn't have as many opportunities to fly. In fact, he'd be pressed to say he'd get to do it once every three or four months. Humans destroyed nature just like they destroyed their relationships with the fae, which wouldn't leave many secluded places to stretch his wings.

Of course, he'd have new things to explore and people to talk to and even more beyond that. He couldn't just pretend like he'd be crushed to move in with Dean; Dean wasn't his only reason for wanting to go. Primary reason, yes. Only reason, hell no.

Castiel was beginning to get his interests back. He was beginning to like studying again, beginning to enjoy listening to Dean blab on for hours about human culture and technology, and his passion was returning, flaring bright like a star. He wanted to learn; and this way, he could also help build the knowledge of the clan. There was no losing.

He got back home and looked around, listening carefully for any sounds. After determining that he was, in fact, alone, he crept forward and set down his bag. He went back into the bedroom, finding Dean still sound asleep in the bed. A small smile crept up onto his face.

He crawled back into the bed, snuggling up with Dean. His eyes closed slowly as his body became heavier, drifting off to sleep.

The last thing he could remember feeling was an arm draping itself over him.


	15. Chapter 15

Dean watched Cas that morning.

Not doing anything special. He woke up, rolled over, and suddenly found that Cas was pressed up against his chest. He felt his eyes glaze over in a mixture of love and affection, and he planted a small kiss to Cas's forehead. The low, flickering light from the stones shone off of his face, making him seem radiant.

Time itself seemed to stop, slowing down as Dean's eyes roamed Cas's face. The moment seemed infinite and fragile and Dean would give anything just to stay in it; just to watch Cas looking so peaceful, and feel as though none of his cares mattered. Because somehow, they would make it work. He couldn't imagine waking up next to anyone else.

Cas stirred, eyes fluttering as he turned towards Dean. Dean held his breath, staying as still as possible. He was half-hoping Castiel would wake up, and half-hoping that he'd stay asleep so that Dean could just watch him.

Not in, like, a creepy way. Dean wouldn't have watched him if he wasn't sure Cas was okay with it. It's not like he was sitting in a bush with a pair of goggles, they were sharing a bed. He just so happened to like looking at Cas.

And really, that's normal. Castiel was absolutely beautiful. A weird thought for Dean to have about a man, but one he knew to be true. Cas's jaw was chiseled, his lips full and slightly chapped, his eyelashes and nose and forehead and sex hair, all of it reminded Dean of one of those statues painstakingly sculpted by artists over years and eventually revered as having a likeness to the gods.

The best part of it was that Cas's insides matched. Castiel had taken what he'd been given in life and carved it, molded it, turned himself into something beautiful. Something that saw good in people who didn't deserve it, someone loyal and caring.

Dean didn't want to pressure Cas into leaving with him, but he really fucking hoped that he would.

Castiel stirred, snuggling closer into Dean's chest. Dean felt his heart give a wave of affection so strong it almost hurt; Castiel slowly looked up, tired eyes opening to stare into Dean's.

"Good morning, Angel. Up and Adam?" He questioned. Of course, more 'up' than 'Adam'. Adam tends to be forgotten.

"I prefer Down and Eve." Castiel grumbled, burying his face into Dean's neck and breathing out a sigh. Dean froze, not wanting to move and disturb Castiel and figuring he'd be done soon.

Of course, he wasn't done before Dean was half-hard.

"You know, I've given you a lot of hickeys and you have yet to give me one." Dean said, moving around a little so his neck was better exposed. Castiel pulled back, (to his disappointment), but his eyes were hungry.

"You've made an astounding observation. Would you like me to correct this problem?" He asked, eyes going to Dean's pale and unmarked skin. Dean shivered from the gaze, nodding his head.

"If you want to,sure." Dean said. He was almost certain Castiel could see his blush.

Castiel leaned forward, ghosting his breath along Dean's collarbone. His lips barely grazed the sensitive skin, and Dean was acutely aware of his movements. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Cas's lips latched onto a small area, beginning to suck and nip at his skin.

Dean let out a small moan, loving the feeling of being marked up. Cas sucked harder, and Dean's hand carded through his hair, giving a small and encouraging pull to it.

Castiel, satisfied with his work, pulled away to examine the dark spot across Dean's neck. He smiled, straightening up in pride. "This was a good idea. You should wake up before me more often." He teased, smiling at Dean. Dean felt like the moon itself was singing his praises.

Their laziness was short-lived, though. It wasn't long before Castiel was shuffling out of bed, leaving a cold spot along Dean's body where his had been providing warmth.

"Come on, stay in bed just a little longer. We don't have anything to do today." Dean argued, reaching out to stop Cas. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Actually, we do have something I plan to do today. I want to show you some of our interactions with the few humans we do have contact with. Not to mention that I can hear your stomach growling from here," Cas said, at this point halfway across the room and continuing to walk out the door, "And if we lay in bed any longer we're going to end up spending all day there."

"That sounds good to me." Dean mumbled, looking down at his morning wood. Yeah, a day in bed with Cas, snuggling and fucking the daylights out of him, sounded like heaven right about then.

"Well then, I hope you're ready to face purgatory. We'll lay together when we get back from Jo's." Castiel said.

Dean paused, realization dawning. "Oh, right. You guys said you worked with Jo. Dude, that's awesome."

As much as he wanted to spend the day in bed with Castiel, going and hanging out with Jo with him sounded like it would be much more fun. He knew that she'd probably get them some alcohol, (he had been secretly wondering what kind of a drunk Cas was for the last few days) and complain about her trip.

"Yes, it is 'awesome'. Get up and take a shower. I'll have breakfast done by the time you're done." Castiel said, finally exiting the room and moving into the kitchen with a flourish.

Dean stared after him, excited that they would get the chance to spend this time together. In fact, he was grateful for every damn moment he had with Cas.

He stood up, feeling the burn and stretch of his muscles as he reached upwards. Time to go and take his morning shower.

Looking down at his still-hard cock, he frowned.

Well, apparently cold shower.

* * *

When they were done with breakfast, Castiel grabbed a bag out of the closet. It was stuffed full of something, an oddly purple-pink pollen spilling out of the edges.

Dean had the weird feeling that it was a little more than just regular pollen, but he decided not to ask.

"Hold this." Castiel said, flatly, shoving the bag into Dean's hands. Dean fumbled but managed to get a good hold on it, barely having any time to be annoyed before Castiel was scooping him into his arms.

"What am I, a cup holder now?" Dean asked, gesturing towards the small bag. Castiel shrugged, the corner of his lip twitching up into a smirk the way it does when he's amused.

"I'm not quite sure that's a cup. But don't worry, you're a very sexy cup holder." Castiel said, taking the few steps out the door.

As they began flying, the pollen began to leak out.

Dean smelled the air cautiously, getting a concentrated dose of what he could only describe as the most delicious scent he'd ever smelled. He groaned, tilting his head back and inhaling deeply. Castiel's grip on him tightened as he felt Dean's muscles go lax.

"Dude, something smells awesome." Dean said. The odd thing was, it smelled almost... familiar. Like he'd smelled the scent before somewhere, but never this strong. It almost reminded him of late nights at the bar, picking up women and eating greasy food from Ellen.

"That would be the pollen you're holding. We give some of it to Jo to put around her restaurant. It helps to attract customers and set up a personal feeling. It's tailored so that it will react pleasantly with the scent receptors of any human who smells it. I thought it might not work on you since you'd been shrank down, but..." Castiel trailed off.

Dean was having trouble not just face-planting into the thing. He wanted to just keep smelling it forever. He could sit and breathe in and out all day, happy with nothing but this.

It took almost too short of a time to get to Jo's house.

To his surprise, Jo was already outside. She sat splayed across a blanket, the sun shining on her face, reflecting off of her large fashion sunglasses. Some herbs sat beside her on the blanket, upon which she was lounging. Castiel flew him there and landed on the outskirts of the blanket, looking up at Jo and waiting for her to notice them.

He set Dean down after a few moments, standing him on his feet and taking the bag from Dean's hands. Dean clung onto it for a few seconds before letting go, frowning a little bit. Oh, well. He could always smell it when he next went into the roadhouse.

"Oh my god, Dean!" Suddenly came from above. Dean looked up to see that Jo had slipped her sunglasses up so they were resting on top of her head, and smiling down at him and Castiel. It was odd to see his friend from this angle; so tall and so... well, all together large. It was like looking up at Sam, except 100 times worse.

Dean suddenly thought about what it would be like to have to look up at Sam while he were this small, and he almost gave a shudder. Sam was already gigantic enough, and definitely didn't need the extra leg up. Dean thought that he might actually have a heart attack if he saw Sam.

"Hey, Jo!" He shouted back, shaking off his thoughts. Her beaming smile made him happy that she was here; he had missed her a lot more than he originally realized.

"Hey, pipsqueak." She teased, reaching out to push down on his hair with one finger. "Look who can give who noogies now?"

"I fucking hate you!" Dean shouted up, ducking and running away from her. She let out a laugh, throwing back her head and smiling as widely as possible.

"You were just telling me of your fondness for Jo days ago, Dean. What were your exact words? She was "like a sister to you"?" Castiel questioned, smirking. Dean made exaggerated cutting motions across his neck, and of course, Jo saw and heard everything.

"Awww, you've been talking about me! That's adorable, Dean!" She squealed, getting down on his level.

"Yes, he seems much more fond of you than he lets on." Castiel said pleasantly. Jo looked at Dean with affection in her eyes.

Castiel's hand slipped into Dean's, a casual movement. His other hand held out the bag of special pollen, but Jo's eyes were elsewhere. It was then that Dean realized that, while he had given her a lot of details about why he was staying longer and some about what Cas had showed him, he had yet to actually mention that he and Cas had ended up together.

Jo looked like she was processing things at a mile a minute, brain working furiously to try and come up with an explanation. Reaching none other than the correct one, her eyes narrowed.

She reached out and took the bag, stuffing it into her pocket without taking her eyes off the two of them for a second. Castiel seemed to not even notice the tension that was building between them, each one wanting the other to speak first. Dean squeezed Cas's hand, and he took a deep breath.

But Jo broke before he did. "So, Cas, is Dean really as terrible in bed as they say? Because you know, there are rumors all over the place-"

"Jo! Don't lie to him!" Dean shouted, finally releasing Cas's hand in favor of diving to try and cover up his ears. Castiel looked confused, eyebrows knitting together as he looked up at Jo.

"No, he's actually quite proficient with coitus. He has-"

Dean's hands moved from Cas's ears to his mouth, stopping him from saying any more. Jo was practically rolling at this point, laughing her ass off like Cas had just told the funniest joke in the world. Dean wasn't sure which one of them he hated more at that point. Okay, no, that wasn't true. It was still obviously Jo.

As soon as he moved his hands from Cas's mouth, Cas said, "She was joking, wasn't she?"

"Well normally, yes. But with Dean shrunk down, his penis is officially, literally, smaller than a tic-tak, so I'm going to milk this turn of events for everything it's worth." She said, sitting up straight, as though being a little shit brought her pride and honor. And, of course, it did. Because this was Jo, and she was cute enough that she could bat her eyelashes and get away with saying almost anything.

"Hey, look who's talking. You don't even have a penis." Dean retorted, because it's the only fucking thing his dumbass self could come up with. Jo thought on this for a moment, then shrugged, in a gesture of 'fair enough'.

A few moments of silence passed before she scooted a bundle of herbs towards Castiel. This bundle was much smaller than the ones they had gotten last time, and there were three more small bundles placed alongside them.

"Thank you, Jo. The others will be here soon, to pick up their share." Castiel confirmed, wings puffing up. Jo looked at him for a moment before her eyebrow raised.

"If you think you're gonna take those and then take off, you're sorely mistaken. I know for a fact that it's been too long since Dean's had any alcohol, what with you guys and your wine-only bullshit. I brought his favorite, and you two are gonna sit your asses down and tell me about how this thing happened." She teased. Dean knew she was serious to a certain extent, though. Jo had always wanted to hear every damn story he had, ever since they were kids.

Actually, he could really see her and Cas getting along. Cas had an interest in writing stories, and Jo would be more than happy to listen to some of his ideas and experiences. Maybe they could get to be good friends?

"Alright, then. I you have alcohol, though, Balthazar and Gabriel are going to want to stay when they get here." Castiel informed her, smiling a little bit. Jo shrugged it off, in a typical Jo-like fashion.

"They can have some, too. It's not like it'll take much to get you drunk." She said, reaching behind her.

What she came back with will never, ever leave Dean's brain. It's going to forever be ingrained in his mind, always there, like a scar on his psyche.

Jo Harvelle had brought out honest to Christ, miniature teacups for them to drink from.

"Oh, so I see you've been taking crazy lessons from a six year old?" Dean questioned.

"Tic-tak penis." She reminded him, grabbing the hard liquor and pouring it into a cup. Dean shrugged, because as much as he totally knew how to use it, well... She was right. Hey, he knew what would make him feel better. Alcohol!

Jo set the cup down softly on the blanket. Dean moved forward, noticing that the cup itself would probably hold about the equivalent of a gallon in it. He leaned down and tried to take a sip without making a mess, but quickly discovered that in his current position, that wasn't really possible. So, after a few seconds, he gave up and let it get all over his face. Actually, it was pretty funny.

Cas raised an eyebrow when Dean pulled away, watching him distastefully. "I'm not kissing you with your face covered in that."

"Oh, come on, Cas! Getting drunk on a kiss isn't just an expression anymore!" He teased, walking forward to wrap his arms around Cas. Cas struggled, (and, if Dean and Cas were both being honest with themselves, they knew Cas could have gotten away had he actually wanted to) pulling away from Dean, wings flaring out.

"You two are so cute! I should take pictures. You're like little, weird ken dolls." She teased. Castiel looked at her in confusion, head tilted to the side.

"I'm not sure why you've suddenly forgotten our names, but "Ken" isn't a suitable substitution." Castiel put in. Jo looked at him blankly for a second before she started laughing, shaking her head and eventually just shaking in general, no noise coming out of her mouth as she laughed. Castiel smirked a little and shot a glance at Dean out of the corner of his eye. Obviously, the joke had been purposeful.

Eventually, she stopped. By that time, Dean had managed to cover Cas's neck and face in sloppy, alcohol-esque kisses, Castiel shooting him vaguely annoyed (and yet somehow, still affectionate) looks the entire time.

Finally, Cas turned and let Dean kiss him on the lips. Dean melted, smiling against Cas's lips. He had less reserve than usual about doing so; the alcohol had already began to make him feel fuzzy, less of a facade was being put on. He didn't care how 'girly' it sounded. He loved Cas.

Suddenly, he got sad. Because, Cas might be leaving soon. Cas could be gone, and he would barely get to see him, and if things came right down to it, Cas might have to fight against his friends in a war he didn't want any part of. And all of that together? Just sort of made Dean want to curl up in a ball and cry for a little while. Of course, there wasn't enough alcohol in the world to make Dean randomly burst into tears in front of Jo.

And tipsy is just tipsy. Dean may have just chugged four shots worth, but he did have a high tolerance.

"GUYS!" Came the joyful cry from behind them. Sadness forgotten, Dean turned toward the sound, seeing Anna flying towards them.

Behind her lagged Balthazar and Gabriel, who both lit up as soon as they spotted the alcohol. The three of them landed softly onto the blanket Jo had spread out, and she grabbed her miniature tea set, pouring them some hard alcohol and setting it down in front of them.

Balthazar and Gabriel had one cup between them. They shared a look, challenge sparkling in their eyes momentarily. As soon as they had silently communicated what was to be done, they both moved to dunk their heads into the alcohol, shaking around in it.

They emerged a few seconds later, hair flipping back and stray droplets landing on the other three as they pulled out of the bucket. Gabriel let out a loud, jovial laugh, winking at Balthazar, who was still trying to rub the alcohol away from his eyes.

Which, in all honestly, is why doing that was a dumbass idea that he should have thought through. But, he didn't, because when your best friend is Gabriel, there isn't usually enough time to think things through.

Dean watched all of this with an amused sense of joy, glad that his friends seemed to be having fun. He turned to Anna, who was sitting down with her feet crossed. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up to Jo in wonder, smiling like an idiot.

"I've never gotten the chance to really talk to you. Dean's nice, but he's... Dean." She said, partially teasing. Dean pretended to look wounded. "I'd like to get the chance to know you, if you'd like to talk. I think you'll be much more informative when it comes to human culture."

Jo shrugged, looking down. She laughed a little, eyes sparkling, and she looked back to Anna. "Yeah, Dean's not exactly the most cultured person, is he?"

* * *

It wasn't long before Cas was pulled into the merriment, no matter how much he thought it was a waste of time. After all, he was getting a little bit antsy here; he felt like he was being watched, but by who, he didn't know.

Maybe that was just a part of this, now? He would always feel like no matter what he did, there was someone waiting to jump out from behind a bush and yell that they'd caught him being a disloyal soldier? Well, whether the fear was warranted or paranoia, either way he couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

Everyone else was having so much fun. They were laughing and drinking and joking, and he loved it. He found himself wishing that they had done this before, even with just Jo. All they could have learned if they would have just been willing to give it a chance, how close he felt to Jo even with just these hours in her presence...

Suddenly, something occurred to him.

Even though he would miss his friends while he was gone, he would always have them like this. Dean could still set up a phone out in the small house, he could visit as often as possible, he could still have his friends.

How even now, he was afraid to let go. How messed up it was that he couldn't even hang out with his friends properly because he was afraid that he was doing something wrong by having fun. It may hurt, it may be hell, to tear apart the rules and everything he's ever been taught to do, but that was what was best. That would be healthy for him in the long run.

Staying here and slowly withering away because the love of his life was gone? That wouldn't be healthy.

Castiel looked over at Dean, smiling and laughing at something Balthazar had said. It was probably some kind of joke, something discountable. But to Cas, seeing Dean's face so glazed over with happiness and euphoria was something he would never forget. Because Dean Winchester looked so beautiful in that moment.

Like a puzzle piece clicking into place, his final decision was made.

"I'm coming with you." He said, suddenly. His voice echoed, and the other conversations stopped abruptly. Castiel soon found everyone's eyes trained on him. Their faces were expectant, and he knew he was going to have to explain what he was talking about. "To the human world. I'm going."

"You can do that?" Jo questioned, right at the same time Dean launched himself at Cas.

Cas fell over in surprise, Dean's arms wrapping around Cas's neck. He was laughing jovially, cheeks blushing beautifully under the effects of alcohol. The sun was much lower on the horizon than Cas had remembered; the lighting seemed to be perfect. Dean placed a warm and tender kiss on his lips, ignoring obscene noises from Balthazar and a wolf whistle from Gabriel.

Or at least, Castiel thought he had been ignoring them. When he opened his eyes after the kiss, he found that Dean had actually been giving the two the middle finger the entire time.

Dean climbed off of him, brushing his clothes off. He reached down and grabbed Cas's hand, helping him up off of the blanket. Anna was there immediately, throwing arms around him and hugging him tight. Castiel hugged her back, even if only slightly.

"If it's worth anything, Castiel, I think you're making the right choice." She said, speaking softly against his ear. Castiel let out a small hum of acknowledgment. He already knew what she would think; Anna always seemed to know what was best for him. She'd been a good friend to him for a long while.

But now? It was time to make different friends. It was time to branch out and explore the world. It was time to, metaphorically, spread his wings and soar. He would be emerged in a new culture with new ideas, values, traditions, everything he'd ever dreamed of. He would miss his friends, yes, but he'd also never be bored.

Gabriel and Balthazar both got their hugs in, squeezing him tight and holding on just a little longer than necessary. Even if they acted like idiots sometimes, they were still Castiel's friends, and he was going to miss every one of them dearly.

The day wore on with merriment and joy from all of them, laughing and hugging and getting drunk off their asses. Castiel was louder than he usually was; breaking out of his shell a little bit more, getting used to finally letting himself have some fun. He participated in conversations, rather than just listening.

The night fell before long, and goodbyes were said. Anna agreed to take Balthazar and Gabirel (currently falling all over each other) home along with the herbs, leaving Dean and Cas free to go home.

"I can get some of those, Anna." Castiel protested. Anna looked over to him with her eyebrows raised, looking critical.

"I don't think you can, Castiel. You and Dean still have to get fitted for formal wear. You have to go to the fae ball, remember?" She reminded him. Castiel almost groaned.

Of course he remembered. He just didn't want to think about how many people he was going to be forced to talk to, while simultaneously waiting for the perfect time to corner Uriel and get him to agree to let Cas go with Dean. Which, in and of itself, wasn't going to be easy.

But all of that felt like it was far away. Probably because he was avoiding thought on the subject, but, well...

"You're right." He agreed, reluctantly. He looked at Dean, who was a little tipsy, but not enough for concern. "Good luck keeping them from flying into trees."

"Good luck keeping Dean's hands out of your pants on the way home." She shot back. Castiel stared at her blankly, refusing to acknowledge what she had said. Because, no, Dean wouldn't do that while he was flying. But, yes, it would probably happen as soon as they got through the front door.

"I hope you guys have a good time. See you in a few days, Dean. No more delays, either! My mom already has to bake Bobby three apple pies to get you a longer vacation." Jo teased him. Dean rolled his eyes, waving goodbye. "I hope to see you with him, Cas. The guys will love you."

Castiel nodded, smiling pleasantly. He didn't know who "the guys" were, but he imagined he'd like them, too, once he got to know them. It sounded like he had a lot to figure out about the human world.

He'd let himself have this, if just for now. He wouldn't focus on the unknown, but rather on the great adventure for which he would be embarking. Entirely emerging himself into a foreign culture, exploring everything it had to offer, and learning about himself along the way.

It was the most cliché thing he'd ever thought, according to the books he'd read, but he was okay with cliché. Sometimes, cliché can be rewarding.

He scooped Dean up, listening to Jo's delighted laughter from behind him.

"She's going to make fun of me for being carried like this for months." Dean complained quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I hope you know I'm going to make fun of you for being carried like that for months!" Jo put in, yelling as Cas sped away. Dean flipped her the bird, but Cas honestly doubted that she had seen it with how fast he was flying and how far away they were already. Despite this, Dean looked satisfied.

"You know, that was a lot of fun. Do you guys talk to Jo a lot?" Dean questioned, threading his fingers absentmindedly through Cas's hair. Cas tried to ignore it, keeping focused on flying.

"No, no we hadn't. But I'm glad we started to. She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, when she's not being a pain in my ass." Dean teased, going back to rubbing his fingers through Cas's thick locks. Cas let out a sound of contentment, leaning into the wandering fingers.

Cas's eyes closed briefly as Dean gave his hair a small pull, starting to stir a fire in his veins. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to open them, intent on getting there without crashing. He knew that if he showed any signs of being affected by what Dean was doing, Dean would be relentless.

Unfortunately, ignoring it didn't make the problem go away.

Dean leaned forward, his lips tenderly latching onto Cas's neck. He licked at the skin there, causing a shiver to go up Cas's spine at the sensation.

"Dean, I need to concentrate on flying."

"I trust you." Dean said, nuzzling against Cas's neck more. Castiel didn't respond, simultaneously wishing he would latch on again and wishing he would leave it until they got home. Okay, so he was leaning towards wanting Dean's lips on him right that minute.

Dean latched on, nipping at the skin and sucking, deep and desiring, letting out small noises of pleasure as he did. Castiel had to give himself credit; he didn't run into anything, nor did he let out the loud moan that threatened to escape his slightly parted lips. He panted, feeling Dean's tongue tease at the skin as he continued sucking, darkening his mark there.

Darkening his mark on Castiel, which was hot as fuck.

As soon as their home was in sight, Cas sped up. He flapped his wings harder, landing on the porch. He opened the door immediately, walking straight in. Dean squirmed, expecting to be dropped onto the floor, but Castiel held fast to him.

"Hey, what are you-" Dean started. Castiel ignored him, walking to the couch.

He plopped down and sat, Dean snug in his lap.

"Dude, come on-" Dean started. He cut off as Cas's lips latched onto his neck, imitating what he did earlier.

Yeah, both of them could tell that it would end up a late night.


	16. Chapter 16

**I may or may not do that thing where I have inserted something into this fic... **  
**Whoever can guess who the twins are based on gets an internet cookie.**

* * *

Dean woke up slowly, rubbing at his temples. The dull ache in his head only increased, causing him to groan. No, it wasn't technically a "real" hangover, but it was enough of one to be a fucking bitch.

"Good morning." Castiel mumbled. Of course, Dean could barely understand what he had said, because his entire face was buried in a pillow. Honestly, Dean wasn't even sure how he was breathing in that thing. It had to be uncomfortable.

"Rise and shine, beautiful." Dean growled, giving him a shove to get him to turn over. Of course, since Dean wasn't feeling all that well and had the luck of the one sock that always ends up at the bottom of the teenage boy's laundry hamper, he pushed too hard.

Castiel almost went toppling off the bed. His eyes snapped open and widened, sensing free fall. He quickly grabbed handfuls of the blankets wrapped around him, pulling at them in attempt to right himself. Dean quickly realized what he had done and tried to help, grabbing Castiel's wings.

Cas let out a small, choked sound of pleasure. Both of them froze, leaving gravity to do it's job.

Dean ended up straddling Cas, legs on either side of him as they gazed into each other's eyes. Cas's back hit the floor hard, but he looked entirely unaffected by the actual falln itself. A small blush rose to Cas's cheeks, and Dean couldn't quite look him in the eye. Somehow, it was a hell of a lot more awkward if it was accidental, and Dean could feel Cas's arousal pressing into his leg.

"So, you want me to... take care of that?" He offered, raising an eyebrow. Castiel, who had before been stony faced, let his lip quirk up just a bit.

"I don't believe we have any time. Anna will be here soon to drag us to get fitted for formal wear. The best chance we have at getting permission for me to go with you is if we impress Uriel. And, that means we can't wear our regular clothing. As much as I loathe to admit it." Castiel grumbled.

"Then it looks like it's a cold shower for you." Dean said, getting up. He was a little hard, too, but it was more his usual "morning wood" than actual arousal. He would be back to normal soon enough, as long as he didn't think about it and got into the shower after Cas.

In the mean time, he wanted to try something.

"Hey, why don't I handle breakfast this morning while you do that?" He offered, gesturing towards the door vaguely. Castiel's eyebrows crinkled.

"Are you certain? I have no problems with fixing food for us." He said. Dean nodded his head, excited at the prospect of cooking for Cas. After all, Cas had done a hell of a lot of cooking for him, so this was his chance to return the favor. "Alright, then. I'm going to go and bathe now."

Castiel puttered off to the bathroom, bare feet making dull thuds against the wooden floor as he made his way there. Dean felt a warm affection go through him as he watched his partner leave.

As soon as Castiel was gone, though, he headed right to the kitchen.

* * *

It wasn't as much of a disaster as it could have been.

The eggs were a little crunchy (those shells were soft, though, and Dean wasn't 100% sure he'd gotten them all out in the first place) and the bread was a little undercooked, (and dry- he put in too much flour, but the dough had looked like what Cas had made last time they ate bread) but it was, overall,-

"Definitely not the worst I've ever had." Castiel answered, nodding as he ate the bread. Dean nodded a little, getting the sudden urge to defend himself.

"I'm a much better cook at home. You have to try my burgers, Cas," He said, hoping that Cas would believe him. Castiel just nodded, silently, and ate his bread. There was no more conversation about the food.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Dean ate his bread, (which, he reminded himself as he swallowed, could have been much worse, and it was his first time making the damn stuff anyways, so he should be proud) looked around the kitchen, knowing that this would be one of the last times he would see it.

That was a sad thought, actually. He'd grown attached to Castiel's family, his way of life, even his house. A small part of him wished that he could stay with the fae, but he knew it would be too complicated, and he could never leave Sammy like that. Plus, he didn't think he could give up live TV. Because he needed, like, sports and stuff.

Okay, so that was a lie. He had Dr. Sexy set up to record the daily episode while he was at work and made a point of watching it every day. It was his guilty pleasure. Sue him.

"Are you excited to finally get this over with?" He asked, once they were both almost done. Castiel paused, thinking before he answered. His chewing slowed, and his eyes flickered down.

"I'm both nervous and anticipatory. I'm uncertain as to what he'll label as acceptable. If he decides I can't leave with you, I'm here to watch the fight unfold between my friends and the people I had pledged my loyalty to."

"That's... difficult." Dean said, swallowing. He'd never been the best one for advice, but... "Why don't you quit, dude? If you're sure you can't do this job anymore, why don't you just tell Uriel that you'd like to be "relieved of your duties" or whatever?" He asked.

Suddenly, his stomach sank.

Going with him, right now, would be the easiest option for Castiel to take. He wouldn't have to face off against his friends, or quit his job, or stay in the colony through potentially dangerous times. What if... What if the reason he was choosing to come with Dean, didn't actually have anything to do with wanting to stay together?

His stomach did a flip-flop, and he grimaced. Fuck. He was getting all upset just thinking about this.

"If I stay here, I don't want to give up everything. My job, my dedication, has been everything to me. That changed when I met you; you changed me." Castiel said, speaking quietly. Some of Dean's fears simmered down. "You woke parts of me that realized that I still wanted to do things that interested me. I'm... afraid that, if I lose you, that part will slowly disappear again."

"So, you're coming with me because you think I... Make you a better you?" Dean questioned. There was this oddly warm and fuzzy feeling growing in his chest; too sentimental for his usual tastes. Just right for this.

"Essentially, yes. They always say we are not halves, that we don't need someone to complete us. I still believe that to be true. I felt whole before I met you, certainly. But, I count myself a better whole now." Castiel said. Dean felt butterflies explode in his stomach.

"I... Same, dude. I've never felt as good about a person as I do you." Dean said, because he couldn't force the words he really wanted to say out of his mouth. You make me feel valued. Because Dean is a pit of despair and misery and the weight of the world on his shoulders sometimes, and it's nice as fuck to know that someone appreciates him. Somebody feels, well, a better whole, with him here.

That kind of shit can make all the difference in the world.

He picked up his empty dishes, cleaning them in the water bin and leaving them to dry. He ruffled Cas's hair as he walked by, making it's already messy and dampened state worse. Castiel remained still, squinting his eyes at Dean in what Dean promptly labeled, "Castiel Bitchface Edition #1".

"I'll be back after my shower. If Anna gets here early, distract her." Dean said, heading towards the bathroom. Castiel made vague sounds of affirmation behind him, nodding his head absentmindedly. Dean stepped into the shower.

* * *

Castiel sat, a warm cup of tea in his hands. Anna had an identical cup clutched in hers, looking impatient.

Her knee bounced as she sat, hunched over. Her face was drawn up into a real smile, eyes glimmering with excitement. Her left hand, empty instead of joining her right wrapped around the warm mug, scratched at the couch.

"Stop that. You're going to uproot it." Castiel said, patting the moss fondly. Anna stopped, sheepishly bringing her free hand to sit across her lap.

"Sorry, I'm just worried that we'll be late. I don't want you two to end up with clothes that make you look stupid. Making a good impression is-"

"Not going to change Uriel's mind if he's intent on saying no. But a good idea." Castiel reminded her. Anna seemed to relax some, taking a deep breath and getting a grip. She smiled a little at Castiel, thankfulness clear in her eyes.

"I'm just a little bit nervous, that's all." She admitted. She looked down, becoming nervous. "I have more power right now than I know what to do with. People are counting on me to organize everyone if things do come down to the worst. I don't think things will get that bad, but... Well, I don't know." She said, sighing.

"If anyone can do it, it's you." Castiel affirmed, nodding. Anna tossed him a small smile, and the excitement was back in her eyes.

"I can't wait to see what you'll look like in formal wear." She teased punching Castiel in the arm. Her tea sloshed a little bit, fat droplets landing on the moss, which greedily soaked it up.

The door made a small click as Dean pushed it open, walking out with his hair dripping. Anna turned, giving Dean a small wave as he stepped out, towel still wrapped around his neck to catch the droplets falling from his hair.

"Hey there. We've been waiting on you. Castiel has been telling me all these embarrassing stories. I have to say, for your sake, I hope they aren't true." Anna teased him. Dean casually flipped her off as he walked by, going into the kitchen. "Seriously, though. We need to go."

"I'll be there in a minute. I need something to drink before we go; I'm thirsty as hell." Dean grumbled.

Castiel felt a small smile stretch across his face. That was one of Dean's quirks; getting something to drink right after he took a shower. If Castiel had to guess, he'd say it was usually a soda or coffee back home, (both of which Dean had told him were addictive, delicious, and must-try for him) but old habits die hard even when they have to be changed to be sustained.

"Hello again." Castiel rumbled when Dean came back out. Dean paused for a moment, most likely considering flipping him off again. He changed his mind last minute and leaned down for a kiss instead, capturing Cas's lips for a few seconds before breaking away.

Dean always tasted sweet. Cas licked his own lips once he had pulled away, hoping to get some of that taste. It was entirely at odds with Dean's personality, and yet, just as addictive to him.

"Time to get a move on." Anna declared, sitting her cup on the table and standing up, stretching her arms over her head until her back gave a loudcrack. She immediately walked to the door, opening it. Castiel stood, too, picking Dean up as effortlessly as ever and going to the door to wait with her.

"Dude, warning." Dean grumbled, wrapping his arms around Cas's neck.

"Okay. Dean, I am going to pick you up." He said, smirking. Dean didn't comment, grumbling a little.

Anna took flight, wings beating against the wind to get them where they were going. Castiel watched her as she went, knowing that she would do just fine.

Anna would make an excellent leader.

* * *

When he landed, they were in front of a large shop. There were a few small windows, displaying some fine clothes on mannequins.

He flinched. He hadn't wanted to come to this place; he'd seen the kind of people who walked out, and they always looked ridiculous to him. He would prefer to wear his usual clothes, thank you very much.

Anna walked in like she owned the place, waving hello to someone he couldn't see. They let out a loud and enthusiastic greeting, and Anna's eyes lit up at it. She smiled and began walking towards them as the door shut.

Castiel realized then that Dean was still in his arms. He set the man down, grasping Dean's hand for support. Dean squeezed back, seeming to be a little startled by his forwardness. Cas took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, and he walked through the shop doors.

It was actually... pleasant. The smells were of fresh linen and cotton, the clothes green and dark blue and even a few purples and blacks. As soon as they walked in, a pair of twins came to their side, smirking as they assessed the pair. They shared a look.

"I'll take the tall one." The one on the right said, smirking. In his hands, he held a length of rope with small markings drawn on it. He gave Dean a wink, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. Castiel let his fingers slide out from Dean's, ignoring the 'Help me now' look he threw over his shoulder.

The other man looped his arm into Castiel's, dragging him back to a second room, hidden by a curtain.

"Take off your clothes. Anything you feel comfortable with being without." He announced, turning around. Which was, by all rights, ridiculous, but Cas still appreciated the gesture.

He stood in only his underwear when the man turned around. His eyes briefly scanned Castiel's body before he immediately went to measuring, whistling as he took down everything.

It wasn't long until he was done. He promptly whisked out of the room, leaving Castiel with instructions to stay there and wait. He came back with a suit of white, pure and simple. It had a blue tie with it, the fabric soft and pliable under Cas's fingers.

"Put this on. Honey, you might want to hurry, too. Your man looks awfully fine in his getup. I wouldn't want you to miss that." He teased. Castiel nodded, immediately getting to work. The idea of seeing Dean in his suit was too tempting to resist.

He looked at himself in a small piece of broken mirror they had up on the wall. He had to admit, he looked good in the suit. The stark white showed off his tanned skin, while the blue tie brought out his eyes. He didn't feel like himself, but at least he didn't look completely ridiculous.

He strolled out of the changing room, scanning for Dean.

He stood on the other side of the shop, top hot slung over his head and a monocle on his eye. He was talking in an accent and moving with exaggerated motions, Anna laughing at his supposed whit. Castiel didn't understand the joke, but he didn't have to.

In fact, he was hardly paying attention to it at all.

Dean looked beautiful. The sight of him in a suit, all dressed up and looking slick, set Cas's mouth watering. He felt his own eyes turn predatory, and he licked his lips.

"If you want, I could make sure nobody comes into the changing room for twenty minutes." The designer whispered, exaggeratedly. Dean, seemingly sensing somebody was looking at him, turned to meet Cas's eyes. He threw a wink over his shoulder.

"No sex in my shop, Henry." The owner reminded his employee, throwing the command over his shoulder as he walked by. Henry chuckled.

"The offer still stands. He's tried to fire me six times. This place wouldn't function without me and Tidus." He said, gesturing towards his brother.

"That won't be necessary." Castiel said. After all, home wasn't that far of a flight.

* * *

Dean was first to pounce, which surprised Cas to no end.

As soon as Anna flew away, Cas found himself shoved up against a wall. Dean's lips were pressing, hot and insistent, against his. A tongue traced his lips and Cas's mouth opened.

Cas let out a small moan, legs becoming weak as Dean's tongue caressed his own. His arms wrapped around Dean's waist and pulled him closer, surprised to see that he was half-hard in his jeans already.

"God, do you have any clue how hot you looked in your suit today?" Dean asked, against his lips. "And y ou were giving me the bedroom eyes, Cas. The bedroom eyes."

"You're one to talk." Castiel responded, before sealing their lips again. He ran his hands along Dean's shoulders, cursing the fabric between them.

Dean slowly began to stumble backwards, a goofy grin stretching across his face as he did. They exchanged small kisses as they walked, (okay, more like stumbled) back to the bedroom. Castiel pushed Dean down onto the bed, pulling back and working to get off his pants and underwear.

"Somebody's eager." Dean teased, his own hands going down to grasp his shirt. He tore it over his head, revealing his smooth, pale skin, and Cas's mouth watered at the sight.

Hickeys would look so purple, so dark stretched across those hip bones. He wanted to mark and kiss every damn inch of Dean, no longer concerned with how long it took. In fact, he'd love to spend the rest of the day dragging this out, hands all over Dean, everywhere but where it really mattered, tongue tracing lines...

"C'mon, Cas," Dean complained, patting the bed with his hands. He was fully unclothed, cock hard and curved seductively towards his stomach. Castiel's mouth watered. Right now, he needed to see Dean's lips part and his head tilt back in pleasure.

He slunk forward, climbing onto the bed. He shoved Dean up higher, manhandling him into position. Dean let out a delicious moan into his mouth, hands immediately finding purchase in his hair. Castiel pressed a quick kiss to his lips, Dean trying to follow as he pulled away. Cas put a hand on his chest, persuading him to stay still.

Dean looked down with wide, curious eyes. Castiel returned his gaze with smoky assurance, slowly beginning to sink down his body. One of Dean's hands stayed in his hair and the other propped him up as he realized what was going to happen, wanting to be able to see what Castiel would do.

Cas left a small trail of kisses in his wake, pressing them sloppily against Dean's skin. He watched as Dean squirmed, letting out small gasps, his muscles jumping whenever Cas's mouth moved further down.

He peppered small pecks all along his stomach and torso and thighs until Dean was quivering, the tip of his dick leaking precum onto his stomach.

"Cas, c'mon, please," He begged, giving Cas's hair a light tug. Cas decided to take mercy on him, slinking up and wrapping his lips around the tip. His tongue traced the slit and Dean made a sound of startled pleasure, the hand in Cas's hair tightening it's grip.

Cas sank down, so that the head of Dean's cock was as far back as he could get it without trying to deep throat. He began to bob his head slowly, tongue flicking along the underside and tracing veins as he did.

Dean reached down with his free hand and stroked along the top of one of Cas's wings, fingers making a beautiful pattern of pleasure. He lifted his wing further towards Dean, allowing him a couple more inches of space to run his fingers through.

Castiel let out a moan, and Dean's hips gave a small thrust upwards. Cas almost choked, but he had to admit that he sort of liked knowing that Dean was that desperate.

"God, Cas, please... Do something, man." He begged. Castiel had a feeling that Dean didn't even know himself what he wanted Cas to do; Cas felt euphoric knowing that he had that kind of affect on him. He pulled off his dick with a wet pop.

Dean's face fell.

"Don't worry. I'm going to go and get the lotion. I want to try what you did last time." Castiel informed him, slipping off the bed to grab the container. He noticed with a frown that it was almost empty. He didn't care much, though; after all, they had enough for tomorrow. If all went well, that would be all that they would need.

Castiel unscrewed the lid.

"You want to ride me?" Dean questioned, swallowing. Castiel smirked at just how wrecked his voice sounded; all sexed-out and steamy. If Dean sounded like that all the time, Castiel knew he would be walking around constantly hard.

"Yes. Would you like to do the honors?" Castiel asked, gesturing towards the bottle. Dean nodded his head, a cool smile appearing on his face as he did.

"It's only fair, since you got to torture me with that blowjob." Dean teased, holding out his hands for the bottle.

Cas climbed onto the bed and they switched positions, Cas's legs spreading,leaving him exposed. Cas fought the urge to squirm, relaxing the best that he could.

Dean pressed kisses into his thigh as the first finger probed at his entrance.

Cas relaxed as Dean's finger slipped in, by now used to the uncomfortable sensations. It wasn't long before a second finger was added, both of them slowly scissoring in and out of Castiel in small, stretching motions.

Dean's other hand tangled in his feathers, and Cas's muscles tensed as a wave of pleasure went through him. He bit his lip, lust-blown pupils staring down at Dean's mischievous grin.

Dean's hand worked in Cas's feathers, pulling and tugging and even just gently petting, until they were burning hot with pleasure.

Suddenly, Dean's fingers brushed against that spot inside of Cas, and he let out a moan.

Dean's grin got wider, his hands working harder in Cas's feathers as his fingers continued to mercilessly drill Cas's prostate, a third added as Cas's moans and squirms alerted him that he was ready. Cas's hips bucked down onto the fingers, Cas unable to help himself as the pleasure became overwhelming.

It spiked as his wings fluffed, yellow powder coming out in hand fulls as Dean continued to play with his feathers. Castiel let out a shout of Dean's name, and Dean let out a moan in return. His wings twitched as his body expressed it's gratitude, filling his every cell with pure pleasure.

Dean brushed against his prostate one last time, giving Cas a small kiss on his thigh as he did. He pulled out his fingers, leaving Cas feeling empty and open.

"Hurry up." Castiel demanded, immediately getting up to switch positions again. Dean laid back, sitting up and propped up against a pillow, body curved just enough to give Cas room to work. Cas crawled up and kissed him again, unable to ignore the temptation of Dean's plump lips.

"You'll want to go slow. This'll probably feel different than usual." Dean warned. Castiel rose his hips and lined Dean up, placing him at the rim. His hands moved to grip Dean's shoulders as he slowly began to sink down, savoring the burn of muscles as he went.

He closed his eyes against the feeling, relishing being full. Dean was giving little gasps into his ear, urging him on with small, choked-off moans. Castiel bottomed out and let out a sigh, head tilting back.

Dean leaned forward and pressed kisses into his skin, his hands moving to grip Castiel's hips with trembling fingers. He started mumbling small, nonsense words of praise, "so good" and "perfect, Cas," among them.

Castiel shifted his hips, noting the differences. It still felt the same, but he felt a little more in control. He could go as fast as he wanted or as slow as he wanted, and Dean would love every minute of it.

Cas slowly raised his hips up, looking down to meet Dean's eyes. He paused for a few seconds, letting the anticipation build. He dropped back down all at once, watching Dean's face contort in pleasure, spewing nonsense about how amazing it was and how beautiful Cas looked.

He soaked up the attention like a sponge soaked up water.

He moved a little slower next time, adjusting the angle as he worked. Dean's head came to rest on his shoulder, moving up and down as Dean let out sounds of pleasure. Dean's hips began to move in synch with his, small thrusts upwards that Castiel loved. In this position, he could properly see everything Dean was feeling and thinking.

"You're so beautiful." Castiel said himself, hips moving faster and faster. He shifted the angle a little bit, gasping out in pleasure as Dean brushed against his prostate. Dean's hips snapped upwards after that, ramming into it. Castiel hissed, his cock throbbing. He closed his eyes, taking a few seconds to compose himself.

He moved a little faster, focusing on Dean's fingernails pressing small crescent moons into his hips. He hoped that they stayed there forever. He hoped that he would always look down and remember how Dean's hands had guided his hips, how Dean's back had arched, the way Dean's mouth looked as he said Cas's name with such desperation and adoration.

The fire in his stomach couldn't stop building. His entire body now felt warm, so warm... He felt his pleasure spike, and looked down to see that Dean's hand had wrapped around his cock, pumping and twisting just right, in time with Castiel's movements.

"Dean, you-I-" He started. Dean cut him off with a quiet, shhhh.

"It's alright babe, I got you." Dean encouraged, pumping faster. His thumb swiped over the tip of Cas's dick, hand seemingly unbothered by the differences. He pumped a little faster, squeezed a little harder, and Cas was hanging on for dear life.

"You can let go." Dean told him, kissing up his neck and to his ear. He placed a small peck against Cas's ear, whispering into it, "You can cum, Cas. I've got you."

He brushed up against Cas's prostate one last time, and Cas was tumbling over the edge.

Cas stopped moving, mouth going slack as his muscles contracted around Dean. Dean let out a long moan, his own thrusts increasing. Castiel was in a daze of pleasure; his cock spasming, sending rivets of cum down onto Dean's hand. He let out long moans of Dean's name, panting and squirming and thrusting as much as he could.

Dean flipped them over easily, giving Castiel some relief. He continued to go, hammering into Cas's sweet spot, spikes of pleasure still coming even in orgasm. Cas felt tears well up in his eyes at the way his body was singing, Dean's name falling from his lips over and over again.

Dean reached his climax towards the end, spilling into Cas with a loud groan. Castiel's body felt numb as the pleasure began to subside, his head clearing and his muscles relaxing as he finally regained the ability to think.

He raised a hand to Dean's back and ran his finger down along Dean's spine, causing Dean to give a shiver of pleasure at the light touch.

"I love you." Castiel said, his voice a rumble in Dean's ear.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before." Dean replied, honestly. Castiel gave a pleased hum, wrapping his arms around Dean's torso and pulling him close.

He wrapped his feathers around the two of them, looking down at Dean with love. His wings created a wall between them and the world, seeming to protect them from everything else. He would stay like this forever; Dean, wrapped up in him, the two of them in their own little paradise. It would be so easy to just love and be loved, and let everything else go.

"We should go to sleep now." Dean mumbled, scooting closer. Cas's head fit perfectly in the place between his chest and shoulder, and he nodded. "We have to get up early and go get the suits."

Castiel mentally groaned. They had some slight adjustments to make to them, which meant that the suit Dean had worn would be even more well-fitted. He would have to control his libido the entire time. He buried his head in Dean's shoulder and grumbled his opinion into Dean's neck.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Dean said, making it clear that he didn't actually know what Cas had said. Castiel pulled his head back, eyes squinting at Dean. Dean looked over at him and he laughed, eyes crinckling as he expressed his joy. Castiel felt the warmth grow in his stomach, like a million butterflies.

God, he loved this man.

"You're absolutely impossible to deal with." He said. Dean, in response, leaned over to press his lips softly to Cas's. Castiel felt himself melt, tension draining even more than it had been before. Laying here, in this practical paradise with Dean, he could hardly imagine anything bad could happen tomorrow. His nerves, previously frayed, seemed to have been fixed for the time being.

In that little paradise, they both drifted off to sleep. Nothing felt dangerous, nothing felt wrong, and Castiel just knew that everything tomorrow would be just fine. He would go back with Dean, live with the humans, and be happy.

Everything would be okay.


End file.
